Confession time. Long post ,bear with me.

This is a hard post to make but I must make it if I am to move on from here. I have been battling my weight for a little over three years. Despite that battle, I am larger now then when I started. We all know why that is and that was my emotional over eating. Ok, so I am past that now and that is thrilling. I did workout through it all, but not every week. So the consistency wasn't there. My pant size fluctuated from size 20 to 16 and now....

Well first let me say that this past January, I entered the T-Tapp January 30 day Challenge. I did pretty good losing over all 20 plus inches over my whole body in total. I was happy with my consistency that I had that month. The problem came that I didn't keep up with it after that. For many months I wasn't at all consistent. Did I workout? Yes. Did I workout hard when I did? Yes. But I didn't make a consistent week to week commitment and that combined with the occasional but still quite bad eating habits still challenging me, I didn't lose anymore inches for a long time, in fact I am bigger now (even though last week I lost two waist inches!), than I was then. From January until I started this blog I had grown and gotten back up to that size 20. Yep, the two wonderful sizes I had lost I gained back. How did this happen?

Well, when you add in still battling the bad eating habits, (not overeating just too many bad choices), with not being consistent with workouts, to life issues that were stressful, and also not enough sleep you get a bigger waistline! So, that is what happened. I won't get into life issues as they are kinda private, no offense.

Let's see, I started this blog in August. So that is 7 months after the January challenge and my weight already creeped back up by then. It has been a mere 3 months since I started this blog. In that time I have made many new healthy habits when it comes to eating. The thing I have failed to do is make a consistent workout habit. Yep, and there is the big confession, despite what I know about working out, my body and what will work; I have not yet been consistent enough with workouts! I would have a good week or two in there and then a week of not working out much at all or not at all. And the cycle continued.

Whew, glad to get that off my chest. To me being consistent is working out for 20 plus minutes three times per week and keeping a decent level of natural activity throughout the day every day. If I combine this with my new found or should I say, finally consistent healthy eating habits I know I can lose inches barring any unknown medical complication. I am trying to do things that are good for my thyroid and adrenals just in case, I know my adrenals must be tired from the massive amounts of chronic stress I suffered from for years. So, I will take care of those type of issues of course.

Also on the health front I have started taking coconut oil. This amazing stuff has been proven to fight off yeast(candida) and help you lose weight. When I take it the inches come off much easier (Like they did last week! Haven't measured this week yet)

This brings me to now. November 11, 2010. Size 20 (pants have gotten more comfortable since last week, I was probably a size 22 seeing as the 20's were rather tight and uncomfortable but like I was gonna buy that size...no I got rid of those 2 inches thank goodness and it only took a few days). So, how did I do that? Well, T-TAPP, And coconut oil!

Yep, that is magic right there. Will it keep coming off? Sure, if I am consistent with my workouts and continue to use proper form.

This brings me to my next point. T-Tapp is not by any means easy. If you find it easy, you are not using proper form, period. I'm not trying to be mean, or ugly, or insult your abilities. Nope, not at all. I just want you to know what this workout can do for you if you take the time to make sure you are doing it correctly. If you are not keeping shoulders in line with hips, knees bent deep and pushed out to little toe, toes forward, tuck butt, suck in that belly, set lats, lift ribs and all that you may find T-Tapp easy. Do you have to be perfect? No. Do you have to do your best? Yes. Can you do T-Tapp with correct form and still not get results? Yes, if you don't tighten your muscles and push to your own personal max you may not get amazing results very quickly and it may feel too easy.

Going to the T-Tapp forum for tips is a huge help in making your way to proper form if you are finding T-Tapp too easy. The ladies there are super helpful and very sweet and kind. Being able to find a trainer online or in person is also really awesome! There are a lot of wonderful trainers out there. I was privileged enough to meet Kirsten and take a class with her and can't wait to do it again! And calling the T-Tapp office to ask questions, they have great customer service.

Why do I love T-Tapp? Because it has healed me from chronic back pain and nerve problems that plagued me for many years (yes, even when I was thin, thin isn't everything people) leaving me in pain every day and suffering from chronic headaches.

Despite my lack of consistency that has caused me to not lose the weight my blood sugar is fine, I have good energy levels, my knees hardly ever bother me and a dose of walking with T-Tapp principles helps a lot, and my back pain and headaches haven't been back, they have been gone for over three years despite my heavy weight and large size! That alone is enough reason for me to keep T-Tapp in my life for good even if I experiment with other workouts for fun.

I also love the mind body connection. Nothing, and I mean nothing, not ice skating, weight lifting, ballet (yes I used to do these things when I was fit believe it or not...long time ago), nothing has given me the mind to muscle control that I have gotten from T-Tapp. It is a feeling you really can't describe. I can fix a little kink in my back in the morning simply because I can now tighten at will every single teeny tiny muscle along the entire length of my spine and throughout my entire back. My spine will pop when I do this. And when I do a full primary back stretch it is even better and I am all loose, limber, and totally awake. It is such a feeling of being alive it is amazing. To have that feeling of health and strength at a size 20 is so awesome you just won't understand until you experience it. It is awesome. A huge blessing. My body is being healed from the inside out.

All that being said I understand wanting a workout that you don't have to think about so much. For me at least it takes quite a commitment to T-Tapp, you have to think about it when you do it, it isn't like walking where you can daydream and have a conversation with a friend while doing it. It isn't even like weight lifting, the weights provide the resistance, you don't have to tighten that muscle on purpose and really think about it so hard to get good form. This is one reason Teresa says she doesn't use music in the video, there is just so much going on and so much to think about. This is why it is a left/right brain mind body workout. It is extremely comprehensive when done with proper form.

So, I totally get that the workout that works best is the one you will do. As much as I love T-Tapp and advocate it as a workout that in my humble opinion is something everyone should do at least a little of....I do use other things like walking and other fun stuff to get moving. A girl has gotta have fun too! But my personal choice for an actual weight loss workout is T-Tapp. The most fun thing about T-Tapp for me is how great it makes me feel!

In closing I want to say that I am renewing my T-Tapp effort. Now is a great time for me to do so seeing as I have my eating under control at long last. I don't have to focus on that so much anymore and I am getting much more sleep so I have much more energy for workouts. Good sleep is a must!

So Today, November 11, 2010. Mark that date down and I will show you just how many inches you can lose the T-Tapp way! I have a big goal set, I want to be at least a size 12 by our anniversary in March. The 16th to be exact. So I have exactly 3 months and 5 days to lose 4 sizes. Can I do it? We shall see. Will I be happy if I only make it to size 14 by that date? Of course! There is no telling what kinda healing my body has yet to do on the inside and I imagine it is a LOT. So, here we go! I will do the best I can and hope you enjoy joining me down this path to even better health and even more good habits!

Bad habits kicked since starting this blog:

Soda, I gave up soda! I used to drink 6 to 12 cans per day!

Sweets, I only have a treat on a special occasion or special outing and it is a reasonable amount. I used to eat several candy bars per day plus whatever other junk like pop tarts and cookies happened to be in the house! That was a lot of sugar! (and yet with T-Tapp, no diabetes, look at all that sugar I had with soda and sweets! WOW Thank God and Teresa Tapp for hoe downs!)

I get a decent nights sleep! I was staying up from 1 to 3 am every night! Now I go to bed anywhere from 10 to midnight. Not perfect but much better!

I have a better overall activity level throughout the day.

Fast Food! That is a thing of the past. I have it only on an extremely rare occasion! Most everything I eat now is homemade and I love it! I do love healthy food, what was I thinking eating so much fast food, I don't know.

Eating just to eat or when, sad, bored, having fun etc. I don't do that anymore! I eat when I am hungry and that is it!

So, you can see I have battled many demons and overcame many bad habits even more than are listed here. Thanks for being with me during this journey and joining me in my new challenge of consistent T-Tapp workouts. If you have any questions feel free to ask. :)