Fitness Goals

Fitness goals aren’t something that I’ve given a lot of thought to until lately. Previously, my fitness goal was simply to have enough energy to get in some kind of activity each week. And even when I did, I would struggle through the workout feeling lethargic and heavy. Do you know the feeling? Not necessarily a heaviness from the extra weight, just this heaviness that you can hardly move your body because you’re so tired.

Since my energy has increased so drastically and because I love my new gym, I go to the gym every chance I get. Sometimes that’s a few times per week and sometimes more or less—it just really depends on what’s going on and if it’s feasible for me to go. And I really enjoy it! I look forward to being able to go. It’s so inspiring to see other people working out who aren’t models of fitness. I feel like I belong.

But my energy levels! I am not kidding guys. I feel so good. Not only do I have the energy to work out, I have the energy to push myself too! That is such a good feeling. Today, I ran 1:2 intervals. It just felt so good.

I started thinking about where I might be in a month or two if I keep this up and decided maybe I should set some goals for myself so that I can track my progress—not to put pressure on myself. I want to get back to where I can run a full 5K again, so that will be my first fitness goal. I will probably loosely follow a program like the Couch to 5K. I will do what I can, when I can. #wycwyc

The possibilities are just endless. For once doing things like running a 5K or completing a triathlon seem achievable. I can’t stop thinking, “so this is how I’m supposed to feel”—it’s such a great feeling to be energized and motivated.

Honestly, I can see now that my lack of energy in the past was not due to lack of effort or will on my part—it was simply because our food has lost the nutritional value that it used to have even just 50 years ago. We are walking around with nutrient depleted and our health suffers. Now that my body has what it needs, it is functioning like it was meant to function and it’s wonderful. Oh, and there’s also the depression part of it too that had me dragging, but I feel better now than I have in years.

I can’t wait to see my progress!

Do you have any fitness goals for yourself? What are they?

Weigh in Day

Hello everyone!

Little Miss Sunshine and I spent last week at my mom’s helping her get started on her first week of our program! That was good for me because I did really well for most of the week—I actually met a new low throughout the week. However, I kind of messed that up over the weekend. Either way, I still had good results on the scale this morning for my official weekly weigh in.

This week, I lost 3.6 lbs. for a total loss of 26 lbs. I’m so close to 30 lbs. lost and I haven’t even redeemed my 20 lb. reward yet, which is a facial! I better get on that. How exciting. I just couldn’t be happier!

I’ve really gotten into the groove of things now and it just seems like second nature. However, I still cannot resist sweets if they’re around! I don’t keep them in the house for that reason. My “mess up” last week started with donuts and went downhill from there. Sugar has a way of doing that—so addictive! I’ve recovered now though and I’m not far from that low I reached last week.

I started to get in the habit of having a snack in the evening whether I was hungry or not. Last night I did not eat a snack and I felt like I slept better too. When I start to think about it, there are so many things that I do out of habit that aren’t very mindful! I’m working on changing that. I’m doing a lot of work mentally and physically! A new me is in the making!

Hubby looks so good—it’s amazing! I have never seen him look so lean before. I think he is 6 lbs. from his ultimate goal, which is lower than he has been in a long time. He looks really great! I’m proud of him.

How was your weigh in?

Find a Beautiful Swimsuit for Your Next Tropical Retreat

The snow is falling, the pipes are freezing, and all you can think about is getting away. A tropical vacation is a great getaway, particularly in the dead of winter. There's nothing better than lying out on the beach, soaking up the sun's warm rays, and just relaxing all day long. It is the best way to get away from the cold, dark city and escape the drudgery of winter.

A tropical vacation also means a new swimsuit, and if you are like most women, you know how hard it is to find the right swimsuit in a department store offseason, when options are limited. Swimsuits — especially plus size swimsuits — are difficult to find any time of the year, but particularly so in the dead of winter. If you’re a plus-size woman, you are painfully aware of the added limitations and restrictions when it comes to buying swimwear in a retail store. It can be downright nightmarish fighting the crowds, and dealing with the fitting room anxiety.



If you need a great swimsuit that flatters your figure and fits your sense of style, a much better option is to buy a swimsuit online. Searching online gives you more options and styles to choose from, and the selection isn’t limited by season or square footage. It is also much more convenient to do you shopping from the comfort of your own home. It’s easy to find a swimsuit that fits your personality, your body shape and your sense of style, because of the wide range of swimsuits available in your size.

Fashion experts agree that finding a swimsuit that fits your senses of style, personality and size are all important. Dressing sharp and feeling sexy is one of the best ways to build your self-esteem. When you look better, you feel better about yourself and are able to enjoy yourself and interact more positively with the world around you and the people in it. That's why finding the right swimsuit for your next vacation is important — you will radiate confidence. An online retailer like swimsuitsforall will have a plethora of styles (and colors) for you to choose from, and their personalized body-type calculator will make finding the right fit even easier. Knowing which swimsuits are most flattering to your body is easy to find out, and once you do, you can begin to search online for a swimsuit that will help make sure you have a much better time on you next tropical vacation.

By searching online at swimsuitsforall, you can find styles that are flattering and comfortable for your figure including high waisted bikinis and flattering tankinis that will help you to feel comfortable and sexy no matter what your size. You don't have to worry about looking like a skinny, stick figure runway model in order to find a swimsuit that you love. Hop online today to find the perfect plus sized tankini or plus sized bikini for your vacation from swimsuitsforall. With the right swimsuit you can feel like a whole new you, so that you have the vacation of your life.

This post is brought to you in partnership with swimsuitsforall.com.

Inspiration Sunday

A New Identity

Who do you want to be?

I don’t mean a specific person, but what qualities would you like to pocess? Do you want to be a runner? A fit mom? A business owner?

I have been participating in an online program which is helping me with the thought processes involved in real change. I would say the most important part of change, specifically with weight loss and forming health habits, is getting your mind in the game and truly believing that you can achieve what you have set out to achieve.

This program has gotten me thinking about who I want to be and what I want to accomplish. I have learned that in order to become who I want to be, I have to create a new self-identity and truly believe in it. This requires a huge shift in my thought process.

For example, I have sub-consciously conditioned my mind to believe certain things about myself and it has formed my identity. I have believed that I am not athletic, that food has control over me, that I will fail at weight loss, that I’m not good at making friends, that people don’t like me, that everyone is out to hurt me and lie to me, etc. etc.

I’m listing the negative beliefs that I have about myself, but there are positive ones too—like believing that I am a good writer, that I am kind, and that I am smart. I don’t list these things in a boastful manner, but it’s good to have positive beliefs about ourselves.

All of these qualities (or lack of) make up who I believe I am as a person and form my self-identity. This is who I subconsciously believe I am and so my beliefs influence all of my actions and in turn determine my results. These beliefs are not random, but are a result of life experiences—I have been conditioned (by life experiences) to believe that this is my identity. And so have you, in your own unique way.

But what if I told you that you can re-wire your brain and form a new identity? You can.

And this is what I’m currently working on. If I keep believing that I am the overweight and awkward person that I feel that I am, I will always be that person. But I can believe in myself more. I can believe that I am becoming the person who I want to be. And in turn, my thoughts will influence my actions and that will form my new self-identity.

So who do I want to be? Confident, physically fit, active/athletic, a triathlete, a virtuous woman, a friend to all, a fun/active mother & wife, someone who cooks healthy foods for her family, self-employed, a successful writer, someone who doesn’t depend on the opinions of others to determine self-worth, fashionable, a life-long learner, etc. etc.

To become this person, I will need to believe first and then take action. I can’t be physically fit if I don’t workout. I can’t be a friend to all if I don’t go out of my comfort zone to make friends and talk to others.

So this is my goal and something I am working to accomplish!

Who do you believe you are? How can you change your self-identity?

Weigh in Day: Non-Scale Victories

This week I gained 1.8 lbs., but the scale isn’t the only way to measure my progress. I’m confident that weight will come off soon. I’ve still lost a few pounds this month—so no need to get discouraged!

I am definitely starting to see progress in the way that I look. I even feel smaller. I feel really, really good—lots of energy and just overall improvement in mood, etc. My clothes are getting loose too.

I went to the gym yesterday and walked on the treadmill and then tried out the arc trainer. The arc trainer is a fantastic workout! I was literally dripping in sweat and I only made it 5 minutes! My thighs are super sore this morning—that’s a good feeling!

It’s nice to be able to switch up my workouts since I have access to a gym. I really want to try out the stair climber—maybe I’ll try that today. I’m still nervous when I go to the gym and I don’t like to be on a machine if there are a lot of people around—hello, social anxiety! But I’m facing my fears and trying my hardest.

Since my legs are sore today, I think I will try to get in an arms strength training session today.

I’ve been to three Planet Fitness locations now and my home gym location is still my favorite—so that’s good since it’s the one I will be going to the most often! I plan on trying another location today. I always follow up my workout with a massage and that feels pretty amazing on my muscles.

How was your weigh in this week?

Grown up Grilled Cheese with Progresso® Light Soup #ad

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EatLightEatRight #CollectiveBias

Brrr! It’s a bitter cold day with a current temperature of –3 degrees with a wind chill of –20. It’s the perfect day to hunker down inside with a warm blanket, a good book, and a hot cup of coffee. Days like this are when I tend to want to eat comfort food or do some baking.

There’s not much better than a bowl of soup, a tasty sandwich, and a side salad to make the best of the frigid temps. The beach would be better—but for us Mid-Westerners, a comfort meal is about the best we can do mid-January!

As a child, grilled cheese with tomato soup was one of my favorite meals. As an adult, I still love grilled cheese but I also like to change things up and make a sandwich with a little more pizzazz. Today I will share my recipe for Grown up Grilled cheese with you!

This recipe takes grilled cheese to a new level. With three varieties of cheese, turkey bacon, and a hint of honey mustard—this sandwich is sure to satisfy! Made with lighter ingredients, you can still enjoy the comfort food without the guilt.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Gather your ingredients: 2 slices light bread, 3 slices ultra-thin cheese, 1 1/2 slices of turkey bacon, 1 small tomato (sliced), 1 Tbs. butter, 1 Tbs. light honey mustard.

Spread 1/2 Tbs. of butter on a slice of light bread. Place the slice butter-side-down onto a cookie sheet. Spread 1/2 Tbs. butter on a second slice of light bread and set aside.

Spread 1/2 Tbs. of light honey mustard over the opposite side of the butter-side-down slice of bread.

Place one slice of ultra-thin cheese on top of the honey mustard. For the first layer of cheese, I used Sharp Cheddar. Next, place 1 1/2 slices of turkey bacon on top of the cheese.

Next, place the second slice of ultra-thin cheese on top of the bacon—I used Swiss. Place the sliced tomatoes on top of that.

Finish with the third slice of ultra-thin cheese—I used Colby.

Finally, add 1/2 Tbs. honey mustard to the second slice of bread and place it buttered-side-up on top of the sandwich.

Place the sandwich in the oven and keep a close watch. When the top looks toasted, flip the sandwich until the other side is toasted.

Delicious!

I paired my Grown up Grilled Cheese with Progresso® Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese soup. It’s only 100 calories for a cup. I topped it with a little shredded cheese and 1/2 slice of crumbled turkey bacon. Yum!

I found the Progresso® Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese soup at Walmart in the canned soup section in the canned goods aisle.

There are so many varieties of the Progresso® Light soups to enjoy, but the Creamy Potato with Bacon & cheese is my favorite. I also enjoyed the Chicken & Dumpling and the Creamy Chicken Alfredo. So many options to choose from!

You can save $1.00 on four cans of Progresso® Light soups through 1/31/2016 by using this coupon.

Mmmm tasty! Take a bite!

Grown up Grilled Cheese

Serves: 1

Serving Size: 1 sandwich

Calories: 415

Ingredients:

• 2 slices low calorie bread
• 3 slices ultra-thin cheese (3 varieties)
• 1 1/2 slices turkey bacon (cooked)
• 1 Tbs. light honey mustard
• 1 small tomato (sliced)
• 1 Tbs. butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Spread 1/2 of the butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place the buttered side of one slice of bread down on a cookie sheet. Set the other slice of bread aside.
3. Spread 1/2 of the light honey mustard on the opposite side of the bread with the butter. Place one piece of cheese on top of that.
4. Next, layer the bacon, second slice of cheese, tomato slices, and the third slice of cheese.
5. Spread the second 1/2 of the light honey mustard on the slice of bread that was set aside. Place the bread on top of the sandwich, butter side facing up.
6. Place the sandwich on the cookie sheet into the oven. Keep a close watch. When the bread is toasted, flip the sandwich over and toast the other side.
7. Serve with Progresso® Light Creamy Potato with Bacon and Cheese soup.

What’s your favorite Progresso® Light soup to pair with grilled cheese?

Inspiration Sunday

Embracing Resistance

Let’s begin with a scenario.

You begin your weight loss journey energized and ready for change. Chances are, you are imagining a thinner and fitter version of yourself and this is highly motivating. You just can’t wait to finally reach your goals! You’re optimistic and ready to take on the world.

For a while, you stay highly motivated and stay strictly on your program. You’re drinking the recommended amount of water, eating balanced meals and healthy snacks. You’re working out and feeling amazing. You’ve even lost weight and inches!

And then comes a point where you begin to feel competent. You’ve got this healthy living thing down. You start to relax in your happiness and success. You may veer from your eating plan on occasion. And then the occasional indulgences become regular occurrences. You try to rationalize the behaviors by telling yourself that this is all part of a “lifestyle”.

A healthy lifestyle does include indulgences now and then, but if they become regular occurrences then they have become a habit of an unhealthy lifestyle and not occassional indulgences in a healthy lifestyle.

The weight loss begins to slow down. You don’t want to admit that you know exactly why. In your over-confidence, you began to get careless. You told yourself that you had formed new habits and that you were simply living a balanced lifestyle when in fact the balance continued to shift until you felt so out of control and defeated.

You begin to lie to yourself again. You feel incompetent. You can’t do this. You will always be overweight, it’s just in your genes. You feel like a failure. No programs ever work for you.

Does this sound like you?

I know it definitely sounds like me. In fact, it is me! And it has been me countless times over again.

As much as it pains me to admit this, I have played the victim—and I am just now realizing this. The fact is, weight loss is incredibly hard. Changing habits and forming new ones is very hard. It takes a lot more than will power to do any of it.

If you’re just like me and realizing that you have played the victim too, don’t feel bad about it. Don’t be overcome in guilt and self-depreciation. The fact that you can recognize this means that you are growing and are on the brink of change.

When I begin to slip into old habits, I know that I am doing so but I don’t stop myself. All the while I’m scooping a bowl of ice cream, I’m thinking about how eating this isn’t getting me closer to my goals and that I really don’t even want the ice cream—I just need that escape from reality for a while.

Resistance.

I am consciously resisting change and I believe recognizing this is key.

This is where change can begin to occur. It’s a choice. We can either slip back into old habits and play the victim, or we can consciously try to form new habits and become successful.

But first, we have to embrace the resistance. We want to stick with what we know—our old and familiar habits. Change is difficult and we will try to resist it. There’s a fear of the unknown. When we embrace the resistance and begin to consciously make better choices despite the resistance, this is when we can begin to change and to grow.

We cannot continue to make progress if we are not continuing to make changes. We can’t expect to be a thinner, healthier, and fitter versions of ourselves by continuing the behaviors that made us overweight, unhealthy, and out of shape.

It’s a choice.

We have to begin to believe that change is possible and begin to form a new identity. Instead of believeing we are the overweight and out of shape person, we must believe that we are becoming who we want to be—the healthy, thinner, and fit version of ourselves—and begin to make the choices that this new version of ourselves would make.

There will be resistance. Stay strong, it will be worth it!

Join Me! An Open Invitation for You

I am looking to create a supportive team to follow the same program to meet our weight loss and fitness goals. If you are serious about taking control of your health, losing weight, and getting fit—this is for you.

I was only ready to take the plunge when I hit rock bottom and was desparate for a solution. Change is not possible until you’re truly ready, and if you’re not there yet—don’t worry, you’ll get there! It’s truly a process. But you’ll know when you’re ready.

Beginning this journey does not mean that you won’t make mistakes and fall down a few times—you will simply learn from it and get back up. I’ve created a small secret Facebook support group for anyone who joins the nutritional program. It is meant to be a supportive community for those of us who are still in the weight loss struggle and following the same program. We will grow together as we lose the weight and get fit!

If you sign up through January 17th, you can get free shipping—so it’s the perfect time to get started. I’d love for you to join me!

If you’re interested and would like more information about the nutritional program, please contact me!

Strength Training and Changes

Happy Hump Day! I cannot help but think of a camel every time I think of Hump Day. Thanks, Geico!

If you don’t know what I’m talking about…here it is.

Gotta love it!

I was able to get to the gym yesterday. I finally worked up enough courage to try out the weight machines. Whoohoo! I just realized that it’s my life-long anxiety that makes me nervous about going out of my comfort zone. I’m glad that I finally understand the “why”! But you know what? The more that I “just do it anyway”, the easier it will become and the more confident I will get with going outside of my comfort zone. I’m making great strides, people!

I had no idea what I was doing so I just used every machine and followed the instructions and diagrams. My muscles are sore today so I must have done something right! I have been wanting to start strength training FOREVER, so I am so happy that I can finally do so. I know it will really help with toning and losing inches. Plus, I like it a whole lot more than the dreaded cardio.

After my strength workout, I enjoyed a massage on the hydro-massage bed. That felt pretty amazing! And then I decided to tan for 5 minutes. It felt great and I didn’t burn—perfect! I don’t plan on tanning regularly, but I will once in a while. I know that it helps clear up my skin.

Once again, I just wanted to say that the staff at Planet Fitness is great. They are all so helpful and kind. None of them have made me feel insecure or uncomfortable. Win!

The gym trip was followed up by a Skinny Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks. Heavenly. I really enjoy my “me” time at least once a week. I feel so much better when I take care of myself. And besides, it helps me be a better role model for Little Miss Sunshine. I don’t want her to have the same weight and self-image issues that I have! It’s a big concern of mine.

In full disclosure, I picked up a cheese pizza at Papa Murphy’s and invited my inlaws to stay for supper. We ate that with a lettuce salad. And then Smores Pizza, which was an impulse buy since it came with as a meal deal. It was all yummy but it did put me over about 100 calories on my calorie goal!

I definitely need to work on my mindset and thought processes. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the fact that if I want to change, then I have to actually start changing! I can’t keep making the same decisions that have gotten me to where I am now. Don’t get me wrong, I have made many changes lately. This is just something that I am being mindful of as I continue to grow.

For example, I want to be thin and fit—but I also want to eat pizza and not exercise. I can’t have both! If only! But there is a happy medium also. I don’t feel too bad about eating the pizza because this is a lifestyle and I will eat pizza once in a while. On the other hand, it’s not like I couldn’t have skipped the Smores dessert pizza! You know what I mean?

So there’s a quick update on where I’m at right now! How is your journey going?

Weigh in Day: Onward and Downward!

Whew! What a week.

After being incredibly low energy on Tuesday, I came down with the stomach flu on Wednesday. I felt normal by Saturday. In the mean time, Little Miss Sunshine came down with it and still isn't 100% yet. Hubby came down with it early this morning!

It is absolutely horrible. The worst part about it is the terrible body aches and pain. I've never experienced a bug quite like that before. Usually there are a few aches, but not like this. I literally felt like I couldn't move, and so does hubby!

Little Miss Sunshine is a little trooper though--still spinning in circles and being her normal self most of the time. She's just very clingy and holds her tummy so I know she doesn't feel well. Poor baby! She's being quite spoiled...oh dear.

I'm glad I was the first one to get it so that I can hold things together now. Hubby was able to take the day off when I was really bad so I could sleep basically all day. Thank goodness.

Anyways, I had to cancel my personal training session for this morning. I was nervous about it so I'm not too disappointed. But seriously, I will reschedule it. I'm learning that anything I feel nervous about, or try to come up with excuses for why I should put it off, is something that I should probably face!

Alright, down to business! Weigh in Day.

I lost 3.7 lbs. which brought me to my lowest weight yet! I've lost a total of 24.2 lbs.! I'm on the losing side again and that's so inspiring.

I also measured again and I've lost over 25 inches! So exciting. I'm getting smaller and feeling great.

My energy levels have improved drastically--well, except when I'm up in the night taking care of sick people!

After hubby got home from church yesterday and Little Miss Sunshine was down for a nap, I had to get out of the house. I went to another location of Planet Fitness--once again I tried to talk myself out of it because for some reason I'm afraid I will stand out, be made fun of, etc. etc. But I went anyways!

I did a 30 minute workout on the treadmill. That's all I've been brave enough to do so far. But the exciting thing is that in the last 15 minutes, I ran a few intervals! That's right. I ran! I didn't feel so lethargic and "heavy". It used to feel like I just did not have the energy to even walk on the treadmill. It's totally different now. I was even using an incline.

After that, I sat in a massage chair and it felt incredible. It even massaged my legs and by the time I was done I didn't feel any tightness in my muscles. I love my gym!!

In other news, hubby has lost 22 lbs. and 23". He looks great! He'd like to lose a few more pounds before he transitions to maintenance. I'm proud of him!

I'm so excited to see my transformation within the next few months, especially since I'm adding in some workouts and will be added strength training.


How was your week? Did you lose or gain this week?

Inspiration Sunday

Magazines to Motivate & Inspire

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link to make a purchase, A Journey to Thin will receive a small commission from the sale which helps keep this blog running! Thanks for your support!

WEEKLY SPECIAL - JAN 8-17 EATING WELL MAGAZINE Take an additional 25% Off $9.71 for 1 Year with coupon Use coupon code WKLYSPEC during checkout Start 2016 off right with the help of Eating Well. Eating Well is the only magazine that shows you how to blend good taste with good health to help you get stronger, slimmer, happier and healthier than you ever dreamed possible. Good-for-you dishes have never tasted so good with easy-to-follow recipes and cooking advice. This is a fantastic magazine for anyone looking for a healthier lifestyle! Order your subscription today for just $9.71 for 1 year - a retail value of $29.94.

WEEKLY SPECIAL - JAN 8-17 SHAPE MAGAZINE $4.99 for 1 Year with coupon Use coupon code SHAPEDEAL during checkout Shape is a must have for active women who are interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Shape delivers immediately useful techniques and stimulates a deeper understanding of fitness. Each issue is a complete how-to manual for a healthy lifestyle! Order your subscription today for just $4.99 for 1 year - a retail value of $59.88 - order now!

WEEKLY SPECIAL - JAN 8-17 MEN'S FITNESS MAGAZINE $5.99 for 1 Year with coupon Use coupon code MENSFITDEAL during checkout Men's Fitness is your ultimate guide to fitness so you can live an active life. Articles speak to beginners and fitness veterans with understanding, offering encouragement, exercise regimens, diet, health issues, fitness news, sports, interviews and gear. Order your subscription today for just $5.99 for one year!

Yoga Journal

$4.69 for 1 year subscription

Vegetarian Times

$10.95 for 1 year subscription

2016 New Year’s {Solutions}

Reach my Goal Weight

This is a pretty lofty goal, but now that I have a program that is working for me—I think I could do it! it would take a lot of hard work and dedication, but it will be my goal.

Problem: I’m tired of being overweight—I have been my entire life!

Solution: My nutritional program & my new Planet Fitness gym membership

Foster Relationships

It’s no secret that I really struggle with how to make friends as an adult. I have been getting better at this, but I still need to work at it. I would also like to improve my relationships with everyone I know—most importantly with God, my husband, my daughter, and my family.

Problem: I struggle with creating friendships and fostering them

Solution: Communicate with others, go outside of my comfort zone, be kind

Earn My Previous Yearly Income

This is also a pretty big goal! I’m a SAHM, so it’s not like I’m going to go out and get a job. I would still like to make what I made (and more) when I had a regular 40 hour/week job. But guess what? Now that I’m feeling better, I am finally fulfilling my lifelong dream of having my own business and working from home. I make income in various ways and I’d love to be able to contribute more financially! First things first though and I have priorities that must come first—family and my faith.

Problem: I am a driven person that needs to feel fulfilled by accomplishing personal goals.

Solution: Continue building my business, blogging, and the extra jobs that I get from a local corporation

Venture Outside of my Comfort Zone

We cannot experience personal growth if we don’t take risks—no matter how small! There are a lot of ways I could venture outside of my comfort zone since my comfort zone is pretty much my own personal bubble.

Problem: I yearn to do a lot of things but I am too anxious to try them.

Solution: Do it anyways. I would like to join MOPS, for one thing.

Continue Learning

If I am going to grow as a person and succeed in all areas of my life, I need to continue learning. There are a lot of great podcasts out there that make it so easy to learn skills needed for a variety of things. Oh, and there are books too—including the bible.

Problem: Lack of knowledge can keep me from succeeding

Solution: Listen to podcasts, read books, pay attention to the habits of those who have been successful at what I want to do

Take Regular Me Time

This past year, I learned how incredibly valuable and necessary me time is for moms. Even just an hour alone can do amazing things for your outlook.

Problem: Sometimes I get frustrated and just need a break.

Solution: Have my FIL come over to babysit, get groceries alone once in a while, go to the gym

Book Review: Judy’s DietGlue

This post includes Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission from the sale. Thanks for supporting the A Journey to Thin blog!

“Learn how to make peace with food.”

How many of you have a continuous battle in your mind about your food choices. For myself, it’s a struggle that never really stops. I struggle with guilt about my food choices and with an all-or-nothing mentality. My struggle with my weight and food is constantly on my mind.

Judy Payne contacted me at just the right time. She sent me her book titled Judy’s DietGlue in exchange for a review. This book is filled with helpful advice from a woman who knows what it’s like to struggle with her food choices but has kept over 100 pounds off for over 30 years. Judy knows what she’s talking about!

She does not recommend a particular diet plan or weight loss method, but simply recommends following a “sensible weight-control plan”. Judy’s DietGlue is a guidebook on how to stick to that plan.

Getting healthy has so much more to it than just eating less and exercising more and Judy knows this first hand after many failed diet attempts. The conclusion that she came to was that long-term weight control requires first getting your head, heart, and hectic life organized so that you can stick to your plan—that and getting any compulsive eating under control.

She says it best when she writes, “well intentioned zealots and money-hungry missionaries of mindless diet dogma try to feed us simplistic, absolute, black-and-white answers for our mulitfacted, tangled, multishaded gray problems”. The truth is that weight loss is not black-and-white and the same for every individual. It’s always a gray area that each and every one of us has to figure out for ourselves through experimentation. We’re all unique.

There are a few concepts in Judy’s DietGlue that have truly stuck with me. One concept is that we have two selves, the logical and realistic part of ourselves and the fun-loving part of ourselves. For example, when we make food choices the logical voice would say, “this cake is too many calories”, while the fun-loving part of us would say “But we’re celebrating a birthday!”. We need to have a balance between both selves. Sometimes it’s ok to be the fun-loving, indulgent self but just as equally (if not more so) we still need to be logical, realistic, and make conscious decisions keeping the future in mind. Being mindful of these two selves and the thought processes has helped me.

The second concept is that while there may be something that happened to us or contributed to our weight-gain, we don’t necessarily need to focus on finding out what that was. We don’t have to know why. All that we really need to do is put our focus on moving forward and meeting our goals. I really love that.

Judy has an engaging writing style making the book entertaining to read—she’s a funny lady! She self-admittedly does have some corny jokes though. While reading the book, I felt like I could have written it myself! Truly, Judy “gets it”—she knows what it’s like to be the over-weight woman and understands all of the mental complexities that go along with that and has useful advice for those of us who struggle.

I recommend Judy’s DietGlue because of the common-sense, practical advice she gives for long-term weight management. Plus, the information is tried and true because her life proves it!

The book is available for purchase on Amazon in both hardcopy and e-book formats.

You can also visit her website at judypayne.com/dietgluebook.

Judy has graciously sent an extra copy of the book to giveaway to one of you! I’m also adding a $10 Amazon.com giftcard to the prize pack. You can enter via Rafflecopter below to win. U.S. only please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going Outside of My Comfort Zone

I did it!

I went to Planet Fitness and signed up for a membership. Seems like no big deal, right?

Well, I came up with a millions reasons why I should wait another week or so. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was just trying to avoid something that would make me go out of my comfort zone and essentially feel uncomfortable.

I was pretty nervous going in, especially after my interaction with a personal trainer recently. Eek! I was afraid that everyone in the fitness industry would be the same.

I was delightfully surprised when I saw that not all of the employees were ripped and wearing sports bras and biking shorts to show off their physique. Totally my own insecurities that would make me feel “less than”, but you know what I mean—it made me feel comfortable knowing that there were people like me there!

Imagine! A gym full of people of all shapes, sizes, and ages working towards health and fitness!

Say what? Gyms aren’t just for thin and fit people? Jaw dropping. I know.

I once had a memebership at another all-women gym. I still felt uncomfortable there. There was one particular employee that would always get on my case about this or that when all I wanted to do was get in my workout and get going. I wanted to work out, not talk to people. It was hard enough to go in there with all of my insecurities but her pestering just made it worse and I avoided going there when she was working!

I felt 100% comfortable at Planet Fitness. I felt like I could hide a little bit with how it was set up. I didn’t have to look at myself in the mirror while I walked on the treadmill. It’s nice not to see what I actually look like while working out. Know what I mean? I probably wouldn’t go anymore if I knew! Joking.

But I’m proud of myself. Not too long ago, I struggled with just leaving the house. I’ve made leaps and bounds in the right direction. And even more, I’m making progress on other goals in my life. As you know, I’ve wanted to confront my social issues for quite some time. My hope is that I can put myself out there a little more and maybe even meet some people and make some friends. You just never know! But that would mean I’d have to face my anxieties about talking to people. One step at a time.

I wish I could go every day. I enjoyed it that much. It’s not logistically possible for me to go every day since they don’t have childcare and it’s about 25 minutes away. I will go whenever I get the chance though! That “me” time is so valuable and essential. Take care of yourselves, mama! It makes a world of difference. And I don’t necessarily mean you need to go workout, just spend some time alone.

Granted, these are my first impressions so it could change. I’ll try to write a review after being a member for 30 days or so.

Lately I’ve been feeling like everything that has happened in my life has led me to this point. Everything in my past has prepared me for the person I am becoming and I feel like it’s finally time for me to BE the person I was meant to be both mentally and physically. If When I get there, I want to help people like me in some way, shape, or form.

Have you ventured outside of your comfort zone lately? What did you do? How did you feel?

First Weigh in of 2016

The month of December was pretty out of whack as far as eating is concerned. With hubby’s birthday, a getaway, and the holidays, I didn’t eat as well as I would have under normal circumstances. As I’ve said before, I had good moments and bad moments. I am so happy to be moving forward again with no more distractions! It’s all downward on the scale from here!

Despite having a rough week where I indulged a little more than I should have, I still managed to lose 2.9 lbs. for the week. Remember, last week I had a gain so I am still recovering from that! The good news is that I’m only 1.5 lbs. from my lowest! I might even be there by tomorrow.

This is also the first weigh in of the month so it’s time to check in with the progress I made for the month of December. Even with the bumps in the road, I still managed to lose a very healthy 6 lbs.! That’s a total of 20.5 pounds lost total. Yippee!

You want to know the best part about all of this?

I have hope again. Hope that I won’t always have to be overweight. Hope that I can feel good both mentally and physically. Hope that I am finally figuring out why I have struggled with weight problems for so long and struggled terribly to lose any weight—from a scientific perspective. It’s all starting to make sense now. HOPE—now that I know the “whys”, I’ve also found my “how” in how to reach my goals.

Right now I just want to shout it from the roof tops! I truly believe that I’ve found my answer.

I can’t wait to see what my weigh in is next week! I have plans to take everything up a notch this week, starting with a nutritional cleanse day today.

Are you fired up to meet your goals in 2016? Tell me about your progress so far!

Inspiration Sunday

Happy New Year

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2016! I’m so excited to see what the new year will bring! It will be a great year!