Yea, About That...

So, I feel like a t-total liar right about now. Why? Well, I didn’t change a dang thing from my previous post. I’ve still been eating white bread, pasta etc…I am ashamed again… so ashamed, that I started on my whole wheat and brown rice yesterday. I am slowly coming to the realization that I have a small food addiction. Why does food have to be so damn good? If there was a way to make a salad taste like a what-a-cheesburger, I’d be a size 3! I told Mike (Next Level Trainer/Owner) that I needed an intervention line to call when I make the terrible decision to go through the Taco Bell drive thru, twice in one day…two burritos in one day? No bueno.

I may have been bad a few times over the last couple weeks, but I definitely didn’t let that de-rail my progress. In the past, I would have let one day of bad eating turn into a whole week of bad eating…then a month etc. etc. That’s how this whole vicious cycle used to work for me. Overcoming after caving in has got to be one of the hardest hurdles I have been faced with so far. That’s saying a lot considering we had to do an FLR last night at bootcamp. If there is one part of me that hates me being overweight the most, it’s probably my arms. If they could talk, they’d more than likely curse me every time they have to hold allllll this bigness up off the ground for any amount of time! One day, that will no longer be the case :)

I am looking forward to see what this tweak in my carbs will do for my journey, considering I still lost while incorporating the bad bads (pasta, white bread, white rice etc) into my diet.

Last night I had my 2^nd post lifestyle change weight and measurements done. So far, in a 10wk period I have managed to stay losing approximately 1.7lbs per week for a total of 17lbs gone (including the 2 I had gained and worked back off in the beginning). I was also down 3 more inches bringing my total to 8.15 inches lost (and never to return!). I am a measly 3lbs away from my first small goal of 20lbs gone. I can do it! I have also set a pretty legit long term goal of hitting my healthy weight by my birthday (Dec 24^th ) this year. I will have to work extra hard around thanksgiving…have you had my grandmama’s cooking? You can gain 10lbs just by looking at all that thanksgivingny goodness!

Side Note: I was able to wear a pair of jeans Friday night that I haven't worn since fall of 2012. It was great. Except the part where I went to pull them up and broke my finger nail in half. #biggirlskinnyjeansprobs

Anywho, if there is a moral to this post, it would be; even if you give in, don’t give up. Giving up may be easier, but you are only doing a disservice to yourself in the long run!

 

Something’s Gotta Give

Something’s gotta give. The something is me…and the give is carbs. Let me rephrase that; bad carbs. I have been doing exceptionally well following my calorie intake and keeping it within my specified range, BUT I still eat white pasta, white bread etc. That’s about to be a thing of the past.

When I was pregnant with my son and had gestational diabetes, I followed the diabetic diet (gestational diet is a tad different than type 2 etc) and only ate multi-grain bread, brown rice etc. My body reacted very well to this, so hopefully this will be a step in the right direction for me. I have this psychological issue that makes me feel like I am sabotaging my hard work every time I eat bad carbs (but I continue to do it. I must be a glutton for punishment). Maybe it’s not really psychological…maybe it’s fo’ real.

  

I had my first “bad, bad, terrible eating” day on Tuesday and I felt so guilty and disgusted with myself. Took the kiddos to Ci Ci’s pizza…ALL you can eat buffet doesn’t exactly sound like a place someone such as myself should be going to. Welp, I did just that. I ate allllll that I could. It was glorious pretending I had the metabolism of a cheetah. Afterwards, I felt like I did a disservice to myself. And I did. Then, I did it again on Friday...this time it was a date night meal of a beef brisket sandwich, frys, a shared peach cobbler and a beer. Oh Em Gee. I almost died. I was so sick to my stomach. Another harsh lesson learned on this journey; major cheat days are not worth it, to me at least.

As I approach the 2 month mark into my journey, I feel it’s time to post some “before” pics. I should have done this in the very beginning, but if you follow me on IG or FB you’ll notice, I’m not one for selfies or pics of myself in this physical state. What is seen on the outside is not how I feel on the inside, and I am very thankful for that. 

 

This was taken the other day. I am going to go ahead and say it...I have a boobie-do (my stomach sticks out further than my boobies-do) HAHA and I am ashamed.  This ain't cute and is only considered to be ok if you are pregnant or have a medical condition that is out of your control. I mean, I do have a medical condition but it won't cause this kinda stomach. This is called the "ive given birth to 3 chaps and two of those were 10lbs or more." I have to find something to blame it on, because lack of physical activity and laziness just doesn't cut it...right? no? ok, I was lazy.

These were taken the year before I became pregnant with my first child. After having her I pretty much got back down to this size for a short time. Please excuse the poor picture quality and odd choice of Halloween costume...so it's not just when I'm overweight, i've never really been one for photos of myself.

In a way, I feel like I am starting over, but not actually starting over...just adjusting my intake. On top of the awesome butt-kicking I receive at Next Level 3-4 times a week, I will be adding in walking to my daily routine. This NC weather is working in my favor for this to happen. I draw the line at trekking around the block in cold temps...my lungs can only take so much! Of you see me laid up in a ditch in my neighborhood, just leave me there...I'll probably need a lil nap before it's all said and done. Here goes nothing...

-Erica