Before and After

Here are some Before and Afters I found inspirational because they are around where I am to where I want to be!

Weight loss survey

Survey

Current Weight: 128 lbs.

Highest Weight: 130 lbs.

Lowest Weight: 109 lbs.

Goal Weight: 115 lbs

Favourite Binge Food? McDonald's

Favourite Exercise?  Tennis and hot yoga

What Makes You Slip Up? Eating out

What Makes You Strong? Thinking about my old skinny body

How Many Calories Do You Consume A Day? 1367

What Do You See When You Look In The Mirror? I’m passable, but not where I want to be

Are You The Fat Or Thin One Out Of Your Friends? Fat one

Are You Depressed? No

Ever Been To A Psychologist? Yes

Are You On Any Medication? No 

Favourite time to workout? afternoon/evening

Favourite place to workout? outside

Favourite workout shirt? I dont have any in particular

Favourite workout shorts? See above

Favourite song to listen to while working out? Anything upbeat 

Weights exercise you like most? 5 lbs

Favourite post workout snack? water

How do you get to your place of working out? drive

Would you workout if you didn’t have to in order to stay fit and healthy? No

Favourite thing to do to pass time during cardio? Music

How many times per week do you exercise? 7

What gets you most motivated to workout? myself

Do you work alone or with a partner? Sometimes alone, sometimes with bf

Water or sports drink? Water

Favourite thing about working out? The results

Party Tips

Didn't post last night because I went to the movies.  I ate 1638 calories yesterday calories yesterday, which is over my limit but I did go for a little walk and I'm still doing my ab workout every night so it was 1542 net.  I have a party to go to tonight that I'm a bit worried about, hopefully I can hold back on the fatty foods, alcohol, dessert and so forth.

If you’re a guest at an upcoming party, here are a few tips to help you make healthier choices:

• Don’t arrive hungry. Hunger can make it difficult to make good food choices—everything looks delicious when you’re starving. Have some soup, a handful of almonds or an apple and some water to take the edge off your hunger before coming to the party.
• Take a walk around and see what food is available—before you pick up a plate. Take note of the healthy selections.

•  Fill your 3/4 of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Then choose a few other items to round out your meal.

• Limit yourself to one trip to the serving table. If you're still hungry, go for the healthy produce options.

• Cut down on portion sizes to allow yourself a bite or two of your favorites. Use a smaller plate and serve your food with a teaspoon instead of a large serving spoon.

• Reduce your alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol lowers your inhibitions, making you more likely to make poor food choices. Enjoy a drink, but alternate with a glass of mineral water or a diet soda.

• Watch out for appetizers. A handful of cheese and crackers can set you back hundreds of calories while a single chicken wing contains about 200 calories but hardly puts a dent in your hunger. Select one or two pieces of cheese to savor and save your calories for a full piece of baked chicken instead.

• If you want to have an appetizer, select something nutrient-rich, like bruschetta with fresh tomatoes or shrimp in cocktail sauce.

• Enjoy desserts in small portions. It’s the first three or four bites that taste the best, so take a small portion of your favorite and savour each bite.

Good night's sleep will help you lose weight!

So tired, almost didn't post tonight.  I did an extra long workout tonight but I never got to go for my walk that I planned.  I ate 895 calories today, which isn't enough but I wasn't too hungry and didn't eat until later.  I will need to work out more tomorrow to make up for my missed walk tonight.  Anyways I need to go to sleep to get my beauty sleep.

Getting enough sleep is important for losing weight.

Researchers have found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight.  It's thought that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite.  The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by a lack of sleep.  So if you are interested in controlling or losing weight, don't forget to pay attention to getting a good night's sleep!!

What to do after a binge

I had a major binge today, I don't even want to post how many calories.  I went out for dinner at an italian place and the group decided to order family style platters for everyone but the all the traditional courses.  There was so much food and relatives were basically spooning it on my plate.  It was soooo delicious but I will have to eat really healthy and work out a little more than usual for the rest of the week!  I finished my I think 3rd day? of the 14 day abs challenge so I am at least sticking to that.  Since I'm not the only one who's ever binged I am posting a list of things you can do after a binge to get back on track and stay positive.  I also think you should drink lots of water too, which wasn't mentioned.

1. Journal. And then journal again. Try to think of a binge 
episode as an opportunity to discover something totally new
and interesting about yourself. No matter the circumstances and
how familiar they might be, each binge is different and has its
own identifiable triggers – environmental and emotional.
Journaling is a fantastic way of analyzing the thoughts and
feelings you were having prior to, during, and after the binge. If
you’re getting stuck in the embarrassment or frustration you’re
feeling now and can’t even remember what was going on before
eating, then just explore those feelings. Your truth lies within the
words – or images – that you can get on paper. There’s no
wrong or write (pun intended!) way – just let it flow.

2. Eat protein. Not just protein of course, but make sure you incorporate protein rich foods into your diet after a binge. Many of those who binge tend to do so on high carbohydrate foods, and there’s a scientific and perfectly comprehensible reason for this. Carb-rich foods help the amino acid tryptophan to produce serotonin – the “feel-good chemical” in our brains. When we binge and eat lots of carbs, we increase our serotonin levels and voilà! – we feel good. But as you might expect, as our blood sugar and serotonin levels even out or drop, we can feel sluggish, irritable, and depressed. Eating protein-rich food ensures we’re getting enough tryptophan and keep our mood in check.

3. Start using those affirmations you’ve been collecting. You’ve heard them before. Maybe you’ve even written them in your journal, put them on your vision board, or recite them in the shower. Well, now is the time to pull out all the self-love wisdom you can muster and pour it on yourself. Some of my favorites: A lapse is not a relapse. I treat myself with kindness and patience. I forgive myself and others, release the past and move forward with love in my heart. Every day is a chance to recreate my life. What are some of your favorites?

4. Exercise. Gently! Exercise should not be used as a punishment – ever! Don’t plan on setting any marathon PRs today or burn XXX calories in hot yoga. Instead, focus on doing something that makes your body feeling utterly amazing and do it mindfully. This means keeping present with the way that your body moves and feels, even as you take a gentle walk or stretch out your limbs. Shifting your perspective from seeing your body as your enemy to seeing it as your ally will help prevent treating it with disrespect in the future.

The moral of the story is to be kind and patient with yourself. Tearing yourself down or throwing your eating schedule off even further with restriction or more binging will just make it more difficult to develop the healthy relationship with food and yourself that you want. Try something new this morning and start with self-love. And some protein!

Note: This list I have re-posted, it was written by Ashley Solomon, PsyD, a psychologist who blogs at Nourishing the Soul .  

Drink More Lemon Water

lemon water, why you should drink it

1. Boosts your immune system: Lemons are high in vitamin C, which is great for fighting colds.  They’re high in potassium, which stimulates brain and nerve function. Potassium also helps control blood pressure. 

2. Balances pH: Drink lemon water everyday and you’ll reduce your body’s overall acidity. Lemon is one of the most alkaline foods around. Yes, lemon has citric acid but it does not create acidity in the body once metabolized. 

3. Helps with weight loss:   Lemons are high in pectin fiber, which helps fight hunger cravings. It also has been shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet (see #2) lose weight faster.
 
4. Aids digestion:  Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that required for digestion. Efficient digestion reduces heartburn and constipation. 

5. Is a diuretic: Lemons increase the rate of urination in the body, which helps purify it. Toxins are, therefore, released at a faster rate which helps keep your urinary tract healthy. 

6. Clears skin:  The vitamin C component helps decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemon water purges toxins from the blood which helps keep skin clear as well. It can actually be applied directly to scars to help reduce their appearance. 

7. Freshens breath: Not only this, but it can help relieve tooth pain and gingivitis. The citric acid can erode tooth enamel, so you should monitor this. I admit, I’m slightly worried about it. 

8. Relieves respiratory problems: Warm lemon water helps get rid of chest infections and halt those pesky coughs. It’s thought to be helpful to people with asthma and allergies too. 

9. Keeps you zen: Vitamin C is one of the first things depleted when you subject your mind and body to stress. As mentioned previously, lemons are chock full of vitamin C. 

10. Helps kick the coffee habit:  After I have a glass of hot lemon water, I actually don’t crave coffee in the morning. This is weird, I can’t explain it, but I’ll take it. 

Stressed out

It's my second day doing the abs challenge and my abs aren't even sore, so I don't think it's working but I will keep with it for 14 days.  I am going to be out of work for a while so I am going to start after tomorrow (funeral :( ) walking for 60 minutes a day and doing a tush tightening workout along with my ab one.  Hopefully I can work up to running.  Ugh so much to do schoolwork, looking for a new job, working out... starting to get stressed just thinking about it.  Hopefully I can keep things together.  I ate 1348 calories today, which is 19 under my limit.  I hope I can do okay tomorrow, I have dinner out.  Wish me good luck!!