Happy?

Are You Happy? If you can confidently answer this question with a "yes" then you are so close to the finish line my friend. Most people think that this process is about trying to live up to standards whether its the standards of the media, our friends, our love interests, our families. If you are going to do this you have to do it for yourself and NO ONE else. If you believe that you are truly happy with yourself being overweight then I will tell you that you don't need to change your life, but I know for a fact that that would be a lie. No one is truly 100% happy when there is so much room for improvement and change for your physical health, your physical being, your mental being and most importantly for your heart. You have not found true happiness and self satisfaction with yourself till you can truly challenge yourself on improving your life, improving to feel healthy again, and most importantly regaining your energy about Life. When you keep your body happy, you will feel happy as a whole. You will have energy to live again and to do things and overcome challenges you never thought you could before. The only person who truly benefits or loses from this in the end is YOU.

Plataeu

It's gonna happen, you can't control it but you can work through it. The fact of the matter is that this process is not as breezy as you think. I am here to give you the reality of it, sugar coating nothing. You will eventually Plataeu, some sooner and some later than others. Do not let this discourage you, plataeu simply proves how consistent you have been with your regime and this is great but its time to move forward to bigger and better things. It's time to challenge your body and work it towards becoming the best its ever been.

When you Plataeu your body simply becomes accustomed to the workouts you have been doing and the number of calories you are consuming. It is time to change it up, step it up. How much cardio were you doing each day? Add 30 minutes to this. Where you using weights or doing and strength training? If not now is the best time, I am not saying bulk up but It is time to tone up those arms and legs. I started with two 3 pound weights to work on my arms, this one small step makes a huge difference in your workout. Also change up and intensify your cardio. Were you walking? now step it up and jog or run. If you hike like I do increase your distance and intensity. Remember guys, we have the formula to this solution its a matter of using the formula to actually solve the problem. You may also need to switch up your eating regime. I started eating small meals every two hours.

Here is an example of what I ate today:

8am: Corn Flakes 1 cup (no milk)

10am: Banana half

12noon: Chicken cutlets, brown rice, & cucumber

2pm: Small Tomatoe & other half of a Banana

4pm: Baby Carrots

6pm: Chicken & Steamed Veggies

8pm: Fruit or Yogurt

**This may be really challenging the first week because as your metabolism speeds up you will feel very hungry more often through out the day but you will get used to it!! I promise!! Nothing is impossible.

Let's move forward from the challenge of Plataeuing, as we continue to reach our goal weight. Are you going to let this discourage you?

Bring It

Overcoming a challenge is not easy and for many weight loss is that challenge. At least it has been for me, all my life I have struggled with the idea and process of weight loss. It is a mental challenge and most definitely a physical challenge. However with the right support system you can overcome both. I have already reminded you that this process is not easy, but it can be accomplished. To finish this marathon you need a support system, with the right amount of support you WILL finish this race.

All of us have experienced a time in our lives where  someone or something makes us feel like we can't accomplish a challenge or obstacle in our lives, for me that was weight loss. I have come across many different classes of individuals who have made me feel like I can't do this, well guess what I WILL do this just for those individuals. Starting from friends and ending with a teacher I have been put down and reminded over and over again that I am overweight.

Find the right support system, surround yourself with those individuals who understand how important this is for your life and most importantly for your health. Find a workout buddy as well. Every little piece plays a major role in the process as a whole. Let's do this together and not let anyone tell us we CAN'T overcome these obstacles. I have began to overcome mine, and I am here to remind you that you will too.

Focus

It's been almost 2 months and 2 weeks now; 24 pounds lost. Wow, time flies that is why it's important to make the most of time. Every single day counts towards your progress. To be able to progress you must be able to use all of your time wisely. Ask yourself, are you giving time for your workouts each day? Have you been eating healthy and consistently? I want to show you a break down of what an average day looks like for me, food wise and workout wise.

**I try to break up my meals into small portions through out the day, this may be hard to do at first; but practice makes perfect.

Menu:

Breakfast: Oatmeal or Egg Whites w/ Wheat toast oh and COFFEE of course!

Snack: Banana or Carrots

Lunch: Protein, some type of salad/veggie side & a fiberous carb.(wheat toast, lentil, beans, whole wheat pasta, vermicelli)

Snack: String Cheese with grapes; YUMO!

Dinner: Subway or Tuna Salad or a nice homemade meal


**Keep in mind, the key thing with your meals is portion control not deprivation. I have not once deprived myself through out this process. Have it all but in moderation and within the calorie range you are consuming, and always spread out your meals through out the day, this is what gets your metabolism going. =)
I have been eating 1250 calories everyday since February 6th on my start date. To determine my calories  I use the most amazing app ever created by IT people! "my fitness pal". Download this NOW. When you are tracking your food you are more likely to have a successful day then when you don't. Tracking your calories will help you see how you can plan your day, trips, weekends, anything last minute that might seem to throw you off. Most importantly, this app has a search engine that has the food calorie listings of over 1 million different types of food.

Workouts: My workouts consist of a lot of cardio, I recently incorporated weights into my workouts but for someone my size cardio was key from day one.


The key to your workouts is finding a physical activity you enjoy, most people don't even know what they enjoy.

Try it out: Hiking, running, biking, walking, swimming, etc the list goes on. For me it was Love at first Hike. I hike at least 6 to 7 days a week up the Observatory trails. Through time you can pick up the pace of your workouts, you don't have to start out hard right from the start. I started with 2 mile hikes and now I do 4 miles of hiking a day with weights. You will work with how your body reacts, your body will help you see what it is you need.
** If you are someone who works long hours, you can get a gym membership. Outdoor activities are more exciting but you can save these for the weekends or a day off! Do not let this bring you down!! FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Obsession

Obsession: the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistant idea.
When you want something so bad you will work for it, if you want it bad enough you obsess over it. Without the domination of the thought and persistent idea of weight loss you will not consistently move forward with the process. In the nicest way possible I am letting you know that if you want this bad enough  you must obsess over it. Obsession can be looked at negatively but not in this case! you are re-prioritizing. We usually give time to the things we enjoy most and the people we love most. Make this your priority, when you are planning out your days and your weeks your workout needs to be the first thing scheduled. The meals you will cook or eat out need to planned ahead. Not working out is not an option! If you want to make changes, permanent changes for your life this is where you must begin; with obsession. If you don't obsess over it, then you don't want it bad enough. I can confess that I'm definitely obsessed.

The Ultimate Test

The decision's been made, you want to change your life. You want to improve with every single step. The problem though is that life can set us back very easily. Every single moment we live something comes up. The most important thing to consider is that if we plan ahead we can over come almost every situation that might set us back from our decision. These setbacks are the ultimate test, everytime you can conquer a setback you have passed a test that has and will bring you closer and closer to YOUR goal.

Setback #1: Events
- Events can be Birthdays, Dinner outtings, Weddings, any event that will take you out of your routine of working out and eating a healthy meal.

Setback #2: Travel
- Travel will do the same but even worse because you might end up in a location you have never visited so you dont know the nearest gym or the healthiest restaraunts.


Dont Panic!!!! There is ALWAYS a study guide to an Ultimate Test!! I am here to share that study guide with you.

Study Guide:

 Rule #1: You must plan all your meals ahead of time the minute you find out you have an event or that you are traveling. This may mean making a grocery list and packing a whole lot of low cal snacks, and fruits. This may also mean that you will need to do some research on restaraunt menu's, and grocery store locations around the location of travel/event.

Rule #2: Always pack your workout clothes!! It does not matter where your going and how long you are staying almost every Hotel in the U.S. and in other Countries has a gym. However, lets say you decide to travel to one of the most deserted parts of the world, you can utilize outdoor activities (Hiking, walking, running).

Rule #3: You must give a prep talk to anyone traveling with you that might somehow prevent you from passing this test. Remind your loved ones that you are working really hard to stay focused and this is very important to you.

This is your study guide, it's a bit broad but we will get into more detail about what workouts and healthy meals can look like later; do not proctrastinate. Study for your Ultimate Test in advanced, acing this exam means that we will reach that finish line.

Marathon

So you woke up one day and realized you really need to lose weight. I have woken up to that thought at least once a month all my life, and I just turned 26 this last September. It is not an easy thing to realize or admit. The decision of losing weight should come from you, no one else. This is so important because we are all somehow affected by our surroundings, advertisements, movies, everyone in Hollywood "seems" beautiful and perfect. The truth is they really are not. You can lose all the weight in the world, and wear a size 0 dress but if you first dont find yourself, who you are what you stand for you will never be satisfied with yourself.
My Realization came down to this: Am I comfortable with my body? No Do I feel physically Healthy? No. The answer to those two questions were enough for me to finally decide that this is now or never. In the past I have gone through this same cycle, waking up realizing that I need to lose weight, agreeing with myself that I will start, but somehow I always started it and never made it to the finish line. My goal this time is making it to the finish line. This is my marathon and I have decided to run the full 25 miles of it. Have you?