My Loss is My Gain

I know today is Thursday and I am just now doing Weigh in Wednesday. Don’t sass me.I promise that, even though I didn’t get around to posting, I actually weighed in yesterday. I am very happy with the results. I have lost another 3 pounds this week. BOOM BABY!

For those of you who are just joining in to this blog already in progress, I have already lost 47 pounds. That brings my grand total to…DUN DUH DUH DUN….50 pounds. I can not even believe it. I am ecstatic that I am not the woman I was 5 months ago. I am nowhere near my goal…but I know that I will get there. I love the way I feel.The way I carry myself. The ways I’ve changed. Whether its one pound or 50, I am still proud to look back at how far I have come.

Welp, that leads me into my Think About it Thursday Topic:

Recognize your progress! This is SUCH an important part to losing weight and keeping it off. People often come to me for advice and tips on how I am changing my life. I hear stories of people who have lost weight and gained it all back (been there done that) . I believe that this has a lot to do with recognizing your progress and realizing how far you’ve come.It is hard to accept your progress when you are only focused on the numbers on the scale or how much more you have to lose. Drop that. Forget it. Focus on now.Focus on this very moment. Make changes for today.Be proud of you today.Worry about tomorrow,well, tomorrow. It’ll still be there waiting I promise. Forget the scale and focus on the way you feel inside. It is incredible what it will do for you. You’re making changes.That is the first step. Acknowledge that…and for once be proud of yourself.

-xoxo

Told you I was going to keep up with my outline this week.Aren’t you proud 🙂

Exercising isn’t fun for everyone. I’ll be the first to admit that I would rather have my teeth pulled than run for miles at a time. Yuck. However, when losing weight it is important that you work out and get your heart rate up. This will not only help you improve physically, but it actually increases your overall mental health as well. Now, for people like me who think exercise is such a drag, try something different. Something fun. I found my “thing” when it comes to “gettin’ my sweat on” and that would be group classes! And let’s face it — misery loves company, right? Having companions with you to sweat through all that cardio can be a great motivator.I know it works for me. Not to mention, I am a huge competitor. I always want to sweat or work harder than the skinny minny next to me.

If it’s a cardiovascular class, it should involve a minimum of 45 minutes of activity.Make sure to keep that heart pumpin’. For maximum calorie burn, try working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. (To calculate your MHR, subtract your age from 220. Multiply that number by .85 to get your target heart rate.) Wear a heart rate monitor or check your pulse a few times during the class to make sure you’re staying on track.Sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it….promise.Go to your local gym and see whether you can get in on one of these bad boys:

Spinning

Step

Kickboxing

Bootcamp

Zumba

…the list goes on and on. Give it a go 🙂

xoxo

I have been a slacker mcslacker pants once again…so starting this week I promise to keep up with my new blog outline.Today is Motivational Monday. So, that means that I will share one of the quotes that has helped inspire me in my weightloss…Life is beautiful 🙂

Listen, I know it’s Weigh In Wednesday and I should be updating you all on my weight loss. However, since I jus got back on track with losing…I am going to allow myself one more week before I start posting those numbers. So today, I will be making up for the blogs I skipped Monday and Tuesday. Sound like a good plan? Good, glad we all agree here 🙂

Motivational Monday Day 1:

This week’s inspirational quote is credited to Bob Harper.

“Believe in yourself. Trust the Process. Change forever.”–This quote is so simple, yet those 8 words explain all that you need when it comes to weight loss. I often find myself repeating this in my head when I am on the brink of quitting during a class or on the treadmill. For some reason, the “Believe in yourself” seems to push me harder. I know that I can do this. I believe in me and so do many others. I trust that the changes I have made in my life will help me reach my goals. And I am confident that I will be forever changed. Believe in you and you will change forever too ;;)

Tone Up Tuesdays: I need love..not love handles.

If you have been spending all of your time in the gym spot focusing on those nasty little love handles, CRUNCH NO MORE. Unfortunately, those little boogers are not something that can be toned. In fact, love handles are the result of excess body fat, not lack of muscle. Crunches and ab exercises are therefore not the solution. The best way to reduce these problem areas is to reduce your overall body fat percentage, and we all know that requires diet and exercise.That being said, Jillian Michaels gives some excellent advice on reducing fat in this area…check it out:

 “I’m actually experimenting with different stretches and light isolation exercises to try for specific areas of the body. These stretches will bring blood, and thus oxygen, to these problem areas — my theory is that the oxidation will help break down the fat. And hey, stretching is always beneficial! For love handles, try this side-bend stretch in conjunction with diet, exercise, sodium reduction, and 80 ounces of water a day:

Side Bend (Do this stretch at least three times a day throughout the day.)

• Purpose: To stretch the triceps, upper back, abdominals, and obliques.
• Here’s how you do it: Bend to one side, while holding your opposite arm overhead, then quickly stretch to the other side, raising the other arm. This drill should be done in a controlled, continuous fashion for 10 stretches on each side of your body. “

Thanks Jillian 🙂 anddd thanks to all of you for following my blog! Feel free to comment with any feedback or suggestions!

xoxo

-Allison

Well, as you can clearly see, this blog has been dragging a bit lately.I am having a hard time coming up with topics to write about and I’m sure you all are sick of hearing me blab on and on about the same ol’ same ol’. So I decided to make a change to this blog and try to spice things up a bit. Here’s the game plan:

Monday-Motivational Mondays.I will share one quote that has inspired me on my weight loss journey and how.

Tuesday-Tone Up Tuesdays. I will share a fitness tip or exercise to help improve your strength and overall health.

Wednesday-Weigh In Wednesday. This is the day that I will weigh in and summarize the overall successes or roadblocks of the prior week.

Thursday-Think About it Thursdays. I will share a thought or a “turning  point” in my weight loss that will hopefully motivate and inspire you all 😉

Friday-Feel Good Food Fridays. I will post a recipe that is both delicious and ideal for a low cal diet!

I hope you all enjoy the way we are gunna roll around here from now on.Please feel free to email me any thoughts or suggestions you may have 🙂

xox0

-Allison