Why did I ever stop??

So I did it.

Worked out that is…and I gotta tell you, I don’t know what stopped me for the last few weeks. I LOVE the way I feel afterward, and even during it feels good.

I mean, seriously…

But anyway, I woke up this morning and did my positive affirmations (which I’d also been neglecting) and then after I got hubby and oldest son out the door, took middle kid to preschool. When I got home with baby, I set her up with a snack and tossed on my workout clothes, popped in my DVD and got to work.

I even did the two mile (instead of the one mile) which took around 30 minutes, then did a couple of other things (pushups, etc) afterward. I feel F_A_B_U_L_O_U_S and I’m so glad I’m getting back on track. Thanks to Jo for reminding me how important working out is in this whole thing–and to all of the rest of my fabulous buddies!

So, I must remember that I have to just do it, because I NEVER regret having worked out. I do, however, regret NOT having worked out…and regrets aren’t any fun.

So, to remind myself, my fitness goals for today:

1. Work out at least 30 minutes. (DONE!! WOOT!!)

2. Drink 8 glasses of water (doing lol.)

3. Write down all food consumed (WW Points).

4. No eating after dinner.

I can do it!! I’m pumped lol.

Okay buddies, I’m off to see the wizard (or hang out with my baby girl, really.) LOL. Have a fabulous and healthy day!!
xoxo

Angie

Checking in…and who knows about Flirty Girl Fitness?

Hey buddies, I’m freaking exhausted today. After a morning argument (silly and pointless, but emotionally draining) with the hubby and running all over the countryside this afternoon, I’m spent.

I didn’t drink enough water today, but I’m trying to catch up. This could be why I’m freaking exhausted and cranky–I think dehydration does that to me. I stayed pretty much OP and haven’t had any “after dinner snacks.” So that’s all good.

As I begin next week, I will stay focused on these goals:

1. Write down points for everything I put in my mouth.

2. Drink 8 glasses of water per day.

3. No eating after dinner.

Plus, I think Jo’s on to something: I need to get my workout back on. So…I am going to commit to half an hour a day (five days a week.) I hope to get my butt back up  in the gym, but if nothing else, I’ll do my Walk Away the Pounds video, or something like it.

Speaking of videos, has anyone heard of or tried “Flirty Girl Fitness” videos? I’d love to know if you have tried it and what you thought of it. I’ve been considering it but haven’t quite decided.

Other than that, I hope you all had fabulous weekends. I think I’m off to bed but I’ll be back in the morning to catch up with your blogs. Peace y’all.

xoxo

Angie

Day 2, Again

First, let me say THANK YOU to my supportive buddies.

Yesterday, I met two of my three goals. I drank my water and didn’t eat after dinner. I didn’t, however, write down everything I ate. I wrote it down till after lunch, and then stopped.

So, back on track today. Goals of the week/day:

1. No eating after dinner.

2. Drink 8 glasses of water (at least).

3. Write down all food consumed (points value.)

That’s it.

I’m keeping it simple…and trying really hard not to beat myself up. I am feeling a little out of control still, but I’m going to work on that today. I think the everydayness of it all (and my incredibly loud kids? LOL) make it hard sometimes to focus, but I don’t think that’s a good enough excuse for not taking care of myself too. In fact, it’s actually a good reason TO take care of myself.

Blah.

Anyway, forgive my rambling, no coffee yet this morning.

So, if anyone has any words of wisdom for getting back in control, that’d be great. I know what I need to do, but am having trouble doing it.

Oh, and here’s a lightbulb moment. There’s definitely a feeling of guilt for being “out of control.” The guilt is not helping. It’s making it worse…so I need to release it. It’s not helping a thing.

Here’s me…releasing my guilt. Guilt be gone!

Okay, that should do it for today.

So anyone have any pearls of wisdom to help me get back in control? Thanks in advance buddies. Y’all rock!!!

Admission of guilt…back to basics

Hello buddies,

It is with a heavy heart that I begin this blog today, as it’s time to admit it. I’m offtrack. I’m eating like shit and not working out. It’s bad.

Thank goodness I’m still maintaining my loss–but I’m certainly not doing anything else right.

So this is it. I cannot allow myself to gain back all this weight, and I want to get back on the right path. I am worth it.

So I’ve gone back through some of my old blogs, and it seems I must start from the beginning again in order to have lasting success. So, first things first.

Let me get this out.

Right now, as of this moment, I am back on track. No more backsliding…and no more listening to the inner fat girl. I thought I’d killed her with all the exercise and healthy eating, but somehow she’s back in my head again. I’m going to work on getting rid of her for good.

Starting right now (not tomorrow or Monday, but RIGHT NOW), I am back to step one. Step one for me is to set weekly goals, one or two at a time, until my habits are back in shape. So, this week’s goals are simple:

1. No more eating after dinner.

2. 8 glasses of water per day.

3. Write down ALL food consumed, even if it means going over points for the day.

I just need to start being honest with MYSELF again.

So, please, buddies, feel free to give me a virtual ass kicking, because believe me, I need it. HOWEVER, I am moving forward. I learned a long time ago that self pity and self hate do nothing but impede my progress. So right now, I am forgiving myself for screwing up and starting over with a clean slate, and thank goodness, with no extra weight.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, and thanks for being here. :)

Coming Out of the Closet (Pics)

Hello Buddies,

As y’all know, I’ve been struggling a bit in my process. I’ve found myself stagnating for awhile, and instead of stewing and falling completely off track, I have decided to work toward inspiring myself. At some point in my WL journey (at 240 lbs, to be exact), I had my oldest son take some REALLY honest snapshots of me. Head to toe. I didn’t put them in with the rest of my pics, just in a secret “fat pics” folder hidden away in my documents. Typically at this point in my life, I cropped all photos to hide my fat whenever possible, so it was really hard to let these things remain untouched.

But, I did.

So, without further ado, here is what I looked like at 240 lbs and size 22:

240-1.jpg

Excuse the stain on the shirt lol.

So, today it occurred to me that maybe I should take a current, equally honest shot. So I had my oldest son repeat the procedure (lol)–right after hopping out of the shower. No make up, wearing bum clothes that I’d never wear in public. LOL. Are ya ready?? Here we go. This is me today in a size 14:

halfway-there-001.jpg

SO, even though I look like absolute crap in both photos lol, I would say there’s a difference. What do you think?

I call it motivation baby. Honest and painful, yes, but motivational nonetheless. I WILL make my goal. And dang, I’m gonna be SO hot. Haha. :)

So y’all, tell me how you stay motivated? What works for YOU?

Struggle, be gone!

Hey buddies,

I have found myself struggling for a week or so. I have had trouble staying on track and have not been working out. I know this is a tempory situation, but I have decided that I need to “nip it in the bud” before it becomes a serious issue.

I think part of the issue is that I’ve been really, really focused on my writing, which I absolutely love–but hubby just went from being a “contractor” to a “permanent employee” with his company. This is great news as he worked through a contracting company (he’s in IT) with terrible benefits for four years, and finally his company hired him directly. He got a raise and the benefits are A M A Z I N G–the only issue is that it means we’ll miss a paycheck at an inconvenient time financially (holidays and all). SO…I’ve been writing my butt off to try and make up for it.

That’s all good. But in focusing on this, I have failed to remember to take care of myself–especially since when I’m NOT writing, I’m taking care of the kids or the house.

So.

Now is the time to get it together. I need a kick in the hiney. Anyone?

Hope you are all having a fabulous day. I want to stress that I am not being negative here–just owning my struggle and figuring out how to get past it!

Thanks for reading…

Angie

I interviewed Dr. Marc!

Hey Buddies, y’all know I’m a freelance writer. Well, I recently got an assignment to write about a fitness and weight loss website, so you KNOW I thought of BuddySlim first!

I contacted Dr. Marc, who was kind enough to allow me an interview. The article (with interview) is published and I thought y’all might be interested in taking a look. Let me know what you think!!

Here’s the link.

Have a fabulous day!
xoxo

Angie

A bit of inspiration that helped me

Hey buddies, I get this newsletter in my email from Dotti (of Weight Watcher’s fame) once a week or something. I don’t always read it, but today I did for some reason. Anyway, there was an article in it that I found especially inspirational and useful. Thought I’d pass it along to y’all. It’s long, but very worth the read. Ok, hope y’all are having a fabulous weekend! xoxo Angie

The Impossible Dream

By Al Coon


 


What Is Impossible?

What makes something impossible to you? There are three things really:

  • The physical laws of the universe
  • Your personal physical limitations
  • Your being convinced that something is impossible.

The physical laws of the universe do set real limits on what you can do. For instance, you cannot draw a square circle. By definition, a square and a circle are mutually exclusive, one being composed of nothing but straight lines, and the other one is just one big curved line. Another example is creating a temperature that is lower than absolute zero, because temperature is a measure of heat (not coldness) and when the heat is all gone, you are at absolute zero (an incredible –459.67°F or –273.15°C) and no more heat can be removed. It is the limit past which it is impossible to go.

Your personal limitations are provided by your body and are as individual as your fingerprints. You will not be able to run a 4-minute mile if you have emphysema, nor hit a 90 mph fastball if you are blind. While these limits are real, it is quite amazing what people with emphysema and blindness can accomplish in spite of their challenges. Each personal limitation must be given a hard look, because usually they are not impossible roadblocks, but merely difficulties that might be overcome if approached correctly. Before labeling anything as being impossible because of a personal limitation, make sure that it is really as you think, and not an illusion of impossibility.

The saddest, but most common thing that makes something impossible is for someone to believe that it is impossible, even when it is not impossible. I have heard from a number of people who have said with resignation mixed with obvious grief, “I am overweight [or something less complimentary about themselves] and I can’t lose weight and keep it off!” Is this really the Impossible Dream?

Should You Choose to Accept It

The 1960’s TV show Mission Impossible usually began with the star of the show, Peter Graves obtaining a recorded message that began, “Good evening Mr. Phelps. Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” and there followed a description of a task that seemed nearly impossible to accomplish. Of course “Mr. Phelps” never turned down the “impossible” mission, and with his trusty crew of conspirators, set out and accomplished the task, however crazy it sounded.

There are two points to my bringing this up:

1.      Just because something sounds impossible, or even feels impossible, doesn’t at all mean that it actually is impossible. Your goal, should you choose to accept it is: “To bring my actual weight to my personal goal weight, and to keep it there for the rest of my life.” It may sound impossible, or even feel impossible, but it is NOT actually impossible.

2.     The reason that the impossible sounding missions were accomplished in the show was that the team who tackled them took them seriously, planned a course of attack down to the smallest detail, and then executed the plan as precisely as they could.

Anytime your goals seem like they are impossible missions, it is time to take the Mission Impossible approach to them:

  • Take your goal seriously—this is not “going on a diet” for a while to lose some weight. That is NOT taking your goal seriously at all. This is a lifetime change of your lifestyle. This is a difficult task and must be approached as if it was worthy of your time and attention. Otherwise it will overwhelm you. You can reach your goal, but only if you take your task very seriously. It is dedication and focus that will win out. Half-hearted attempts will always fail.
  • Plan your course of attack down to the smallest detail. This is critical! You are going to face life—your life—day after day, while maintaining your attack on accomplishing your goal. You can’t wing it, because you have already tried that, and it doesn’t work. You have to plan out what you are going to do. What will you do when you have to drop and run and take care of this or that emergency that comes up over and over again in your life? Put a solution down in your plan so you will have something to eat, and a way to make sure that you remain OP, even if you find yourself at the hospital in the ER waiting for your child to get stitches in the hand that he cut when he accidently put it through a window. There is an answer to every single thing that you normally find overwhelming in your life, if you search it out in the cool passionless moments of your time, when you are able to think clearly. This is where we far too often fail. We try to succeed without a plan, and it doesn’t work, and unfortunately, it never will!
  • Execute your plan as precisely as you can. Notice that I didn’t say, “Execute your plan perfectly.” We are not perfect, and aren’t likely to be in this lifetime. It is a fool’s errand to strive for perfection. Don’t bog down your journey in vain attempts to do it perfectly. Nobody does it perfectly, and nobody ever will. Success is spackled and tarnished on the surface with many imperfections, but it is beautiful nonetheless.

Each day, do your best to follow your well laid out plan. Try to do a little better than yesterday, and believe that you will do even a bit better tomorrow. One step at a time, build your ability and your success. Use your plan to defeat the things that once overwhelmed you, one event at a time. If your plan fails you, go back and rework it, and find a better solution. This is a living breathing process that is never completed, even after you have been at goal for years. One step forward—a bit of improvement, each day—that is how you reach your dream, which is now not so impossible.

Imagine That!

An exercise you might find helpful is to think of a set of circumstances where remaining at your goal weight would be easy. Perhaps being stranded on a small island—maybe you have already been in this fantasy, with other aims in mindBig Smile —where you had to struggle to survive eating fish and high fiber food, with just enough to get by. Working hard each day to obtain food and shelter, you would no doubt get thin and stay thin.

Perhaps it wouldn’t have to be so drastic a change as being stranded on an island in your mental exercise, but I am sure you can find some setting in your mind’s eye, where being thin would be the normal thing for you. You can then think about what specifically it is about this imagined setting that makes it easy to be thin. This exercise can give you some very good hints at what you need to change in your life, in order to change the results you are getting. It is very helpful being able to identify what is wrong in our lives, if we want to plan our success for the future.

Your Brain is your greatest asset

When you think something is impossible you are killing your best weapon, your greatest tool for success.

It is by assuming that something is POSSIBLE that you can then use your mind to marshal your resources to change your circumstances.

The human mind is an irresistible force, and the only thing that can stop our mind from bringing us success is our refusal to use it.

Just think about what the human mind has brought. It was our ability to think, plan, and act that moved us:

  • From caves to skyscrapers.
  • From hand delivered mail to email.
  • From horseback to jets.
  • From witch doctors to heart transplants.
  • From leaping just a few feet to propelling ourselves to walk on the moon.
  • From a reach that only could point at the stars to sending probes to planets as much as 2.7 billion miles from the Sun.
    • At 60 miles per hour, that distance would take over 5,000 years to drive. If you had a road to drive on, and started driving when the first incarnation of Stonehenge was being built, or the first Egyptian hieroglyphics were being created, and continued until today, you would be just approaching the orbit of Neptune.

And we have only scratched the surface of what the human mind can accomplish. This list is not meant to boggle or amaze so much as it is to show that we can do things that seem impossible on the face of them. People have leaped for the moon, in the past, and found that they were falling 238,000 miles short, but, even so, walking on the moon turned out to be possible. (Of all the celebrities that I have met, Neil Armstrong was the biggest thrill for me…aside from Dotti of course. Big Smile)

It is by using our minds that we can discover the safe path to our dreams, no matter how impossible they may appear to us. Believe, plan, act, persevere and you will succeed.

Don’t just dare to dream, but dare to reach your dreams, because YOU CAN!


New Goal

Hey Buddies! So I’ve been in a size 14 for awhile now, which is awesome since I started out in a 24 (which was even tight at one point, I’m embarrassed to admit.) At any rate, since I seem to be stagnating a bit, I’ve decided to set a new goal. This is not a pounds goal, but a size goal.

Each year, DH’s family members each make a list of things they want or need for Christmas gifts. I found this practice a bit…weird…when I first met them, but once I had lists to shop with–I realized the benefit. So now, I gladly make a list each year. I may get some of the items, I may get all of the items, or maybe I get something completely different–but I’m always thrilled either way. However, this year I put size 12 jeans on my list.

So, whether I actually receive them or not, there is a good chance that someone will give me a pair of size 12 jeans for xmas. Therefore, my new goal is to be in a size 12 by Christmas Day. The 14s are currently comfortable, but a tiny bit loose, so I think it’s definitely do-able. So, starting tomorrow, I will bump my three days a week working out to five days a week, and I will be more vigilant with my points (like maybe skipping some of my flex points, for example, not undereating!).

I know I can do it. It’s a reasonable goal and a reasonable amount of time.

So, I hope you’re all having a fabulous and healthy day. And a special shout out to my girl Jo, who is one of my favorite buddies in the whole wide world and who never gives up on me. Much love, Jo.

xoxo

Angie

PS Some of you know I’m writing these days…you can check out my personal blog at http://angieatkinson.blogspot.com if you’re interested, and from there you can link to several places to see my published stuff. No need to look–just putting it out there in case anyone wants to know lol. xx

Still alive…and Late Halloween Pics

Hey buddies! Things have been crazy. If anyone (besides Jo!) remembers me, I’m a freelance writer. Well, awhile back, I talked about how I was going to get off my butt and get my career on track (because I was NOT a freelance writer at that time, even though I wanted to be one.) So, I’m doing just that.

The problem is that writing six or eight hours a day makes it tough to be on BuddySlim as much as I want to–however, once again I realize that I need to be here. SO here I am.

Y’all might remember that we have a Halloween party each year and that I wanted to lose 70 more lbs by the time mine happened this year. Well, I didn’t, but I did manage to lose 50. I consider that a fairly good accomplishment. At any rate, here’s what I looked like at the 2006 party (remember, I was preggo for 2007 Halloween, so we didn’t have the party):halloween103106-009.jpg

So, without further delay, here’s the pic from THIS year’s party. No teasing lol. The costume is homemade. :) copy-of-halloween-prty08-024.JPG

I don’t know why the pics are so small…but here, I will place them side by side for easier comparison lol.

Old Me:          New Me:

 halloween103106-009.jpg  copy-of-halloween-prty08-024.JPG

It’s hard to see with these teensy pics. I don’t know why they’re showing up this way lol, but hopefully you get the idea. There IS a significant difference, even if you can’t see it in the pics. Plus, the OLD pic is taken at a much better angle than the NEW pic.

Oh well, anyway.

So, I’m back, I missed y’all, and thanks to Jo for giving me that little push I needed to get back here where I need to be.

xoxo

Angie

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