I recently read that it is harder for women who stay home to lose weight than those who have a job...no kidding. I could have told you that.
Just this past Christmas I experienced the ease at which I avoided bad food and overeating all due to the fact that I was around people. I wasn't lonely, bored with day to day housework, I was having fun and I had people to talk to. I had something other to do than clean the toilet and wipes up kid messes. I love my kids and I would not dream of doing anything else but it has come to a point where I need to get out more and I'm sure the kids would enjoy it too! I mean, I have more than enough to do, don't get me wrong. Being a mom is the hardest thing ever but part of that hardship, for me, comes from loneliness especially in a one car household. Daddy has the car at work, we are stuck here, daddy works at a prison so we cannot even call to say hi during the day.
We don't live in a place where I have a ton of other stay at home moms living close by, there is no walking to the store or friends houses. There is not a place or thing for me to do for all of the workdays other than be here alone, working and caring for children. I end up feeling sad, and thus thinking about food a lot. I think this must happen to a lot of women who are stuck like this. We didn't plan on being a one car family for this long, but it has been over 2 years already! WOW, no wonder I get a little lonely.
I'm not trying to say all is lost but, it is just hard. Over the holidays it was so GREAT to get out and see people. I actually didn't eat junk and I came home hungry! I also felt, happy. That is a big deal to just feel happy and content. I tell ya, being at home, I have way too much time to think. My kids are still toddlers so the conversations aren't exactly adult like at all. They are fun and wonderful but they cannot give mommy everything she needs.
Another thing that comes from being away from the house is a great appreciation for home once you get back to it.
I do not know what the solution is yet but I need something, I need to figure it out.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Just wanted to mention I do have a facebook page and would like to invite you to join me there if you wish. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Saras-Slim-Down/146227608735243
I usually let people know there when I have a new blog post and there are many days where I do not blog but simply post a little update there about how my day went with eating and exercising. :) Thanks so much for being here for me!
I usually let people know there when I have a new blog post and there are many days where I do not blog but simply post a little update there about how my day went with eating and exercising. :) Thanks so much for being here for me!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Okay, bad day came and went and I'm still here and happy. :)
So, I had a bad day as you saw by my last post. That is OK. I knew it would happen, it invariably does every time I start to get consistent with workouts. This time it took longer to happen, that is a good sign. Also, I managed to pick myself up the next day and keep on going. I got through the bad day and the feelings of hopelessness that came with it.
I'm sure I will still get sad sometimes about my size, I do have a long way to go after all. It isn't like one month is going to have me back in a normal, non obese size waistband. This is going to take a good long time of working hard. I'm up for it now though! I really am.
I have many things I am thankful for. My legs and arms are not that far gone and pretty darn muscular. That is really great and I am happy about it. They have a tad of fat to shed but it isn't too bad. I'm happy with them for now.
Now that I seem to have really found my "answer" to consistent workouts I want to address my eating even further than I have already. I must guard greatly for awhile against going back to old ways.
I want to drink only water during the day. I love to have stevia sweetened tea, while it has zero calories it keeps me from drinking adequate water and the caffeine leaves me dehydrated. So, only water. Maybe tea with supper.
I would like to start drinking green tea at night when I am watching TV with my husband instead of chowing on his yummy homemade tortilla chips.
I will add in one serving extra of veggie or fruit per day until it is to where I think I should be.
I have more things I want to try but I don't want to overload my brain. I will write those down later. :D
I'm sure I will still get sad sometimes about my size, I do have a long way to go after all. It isn't like one month is going to have me back in a normal, non obese size waistband. This is going to take a good long time of working hard. I'm up for it now though! I really am.
I have many things I am thankful for. My legs and arms are not that far gone and pretty darn muscular. That is really great and I am happy about it. They have a tad of fat to shed but it isn't too bad. I'm happy with them for now.
Now that I seem to have really found my "answer" to consistent workouts I want to address my eating even further than I have already. I must guard greatly for awhile against going back to old ways.
I want to drink only water during the day. I love to have stevia sweetened tea, while it has zero calories it keeps me from drinking adequate water and the caffeine leaves me dehydrated. So, only water. Maybe tea with supper.
I would like to start drinking green tea at night when I am watching TV with my husband instead of chowing on his yummy homemade tortilla chips.
I will add in one serving extra of veggie or fruit per day until it is to where I think I should be.
I have more things I want to try but I don't want to overload my brain. I will write those down later. :D
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sometimes I just don't feel nice.
Not every day can be a great day. I hold out hope that the end of my day will be much better than it has felt so far. I say felt because that is my problem right now, my darn feelings.
As great as these past two weeks have been, these days will still come, I have to work through it somehow. I know I will but in the moment, well sometimes a girl has just gotta cry it out to get past it. A good cry never hurt anyone, holding it in is what hurts. So, yes, I have cried. I feel slightly better but still have a lot of bad thoughts floating around my brain a painful feelings hurting me yet. Looking forward to this evening, I will probably feel better by then.
I just want to feel, normal. That is all. I want to feel like a normal human being again. I feel very rotten about myself and there are many other issues that come with that. I wish that eating wasn't something I had to do, or that buying clothing could be avoided, really, I wish I could go and hide somewhere for a good year to get myself back into shape. But, we cannot hide from our lives to fix what we messed up. We have to do it all at the same time.
I know I'm not being very positive or elegant in my writing today. But, it is one of those days. Nothing feels right right now. I need to go find a way to get over it, so until then. Wish me luck! I'm sure you will be able to tell when I am over it....for now.
As great as these past two weeks have been, these days will still come, I have to work through it somehow. I know I will but in the moment, well sometimes a girl has just gotta cry it out to get past it. A good cry never hurt anyone, holding it in is what hurts. So, yes, I have cried. I feel slightly better but still have a lot of bad thoughts floating around my brain a painful feelings hurting me yet. Looking forward to this evening, I will probably feel better by then.
I just want to feel, normal. That is all. I want to feel like a normal human being again. I feel very rotten about myself and there are many other issues that come with that. I wish that eating wasn't something I had to do, or that buying clothing could be avoided, really, I wish I could go and hide somewhere for a good year to get myself back into shape. But, we cannot hide from our lives to fix what we messed up. We have to do it all at the same time.
I know I'm not being very positive or elegant in my writing today. But, it is one of those days. Nothing feels right right now. I need to go find a way to get over it, so until then. Wish me luck! I'm sure you will be able to tell when I am over it....for now.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Many great things happening....
Oh it has been a great 11 days! I have had a few emotional ups and downs but overall really good. Last post being about how I haven't lost major inches yet...I mean really it is only 11 days, no biggie; so I wanted to make this post about all the other wonderful benefits I am enjoying, in only 11 days.
If you are just joining me, that is 11 days of consistent T-Tapp workouts while taking advantage of trainer Charlotte Seims 30 day virtual coaching program (I will not answer any questions regarding what specific workouts I am doing so as not to spoil this program she is selling, you will have to buy that information from her yourself, it wouldn't be right of me to share that with you, it is T-Tapp and that is all you need to know, :D ). So, here are the great things that have happened to me these past 11 days!
#1 I have in the past had a bad habit of staying up too late and not feeling rested, I now go to sleep sooner and sleep better. It is easier to fall asleep and easier to get up in the morning.
#2 I have increased flexibility in my legs, especially my right leg that has always been tight. Less nerve issues in it as well. And I continue to enjoy the healing that has occurred in my back thanks to T-Tapps primary back stretch.
#3 I notice more definition in my arms, sides, and hips.
#4 I have great energy levels throughout the day!
#5 Having suffered from much sadness and even depression following a tragedy in my life as well as probably from all the bad eating that followed, I am now feeling happy all day long! I have better focus and am really enjoying myself, for real. It is like a fog covering my brain has been lifted. :)
#6 Ladies you will love this one for sure, my PMS symptoms are hardly even noticeable. Most of them completely gone.
#7 This is a benefit I have enjoyed for a long time even through times of hardly any workouts, I haven't been sick in ages.
#8 Less swelling/bloating in general.
#9 Fewer cravings!
#10 I saved this one for last as it is just something that is personally very important to me. I have for most of my life had a passion for movement natural health and healing. My struggles for a fit body started when I married but mostly I over came those struggles until 3 years and 8 months ago. I lost my desire to try, to go on. My third pregnancy while healthy enough and ending with a wonderful home birth was difficult and uncomfortable. I got really big and especially since then have found most movement difficult, so difficult I stopped caring for a long time, lost that passion. I use to love to dance, to bike, to skate, to just move all the time. I loved to move and use my body for exercise and working. For these past several years it has been just plain unpleasant and even depressing to try. It mostly made me cry.
These past 11 days, for the first time in 3 years and 8 months, I have regained a passion for movement. I have picked up hobbies with a renewed passion and joy that I haven't experienced in ages. I feel alive again. It tears me up to just think about.
This workout has in the past and continues to touch my life in ways I never thought a workout could. It has worked to heal me so well and it has kept me from illness through massive emotional trauma and horrific amounts of overeating of junk foods. I really truly could not thank God enough for my finding this and for the great gift he gave Teresa Tapp as she created this workout.
Thank you to GOD almightly the great alpha and omega, creator of my soul and of my body; my body that works so well at healing itself when I care for it properly!
I want also to thank Teresa Tapp who besides creating this workout has through her generous giveaways and discounts (via super closeouts or her regular contest for free or discounted product) has enabled me to bless many others with the gift of the T-Tapp workout. Thank you to T-Tapp trainer Kirsten Tucker as I learned a lot in her class (my first T-Tapp class ever!), and to trainer Charlotte Seims for her wonderful online coaching program that has pulled me out of my slump of mostly not working out and into the world of consistent workouts! I prayed for an answer to this problem and her email about her latest coaching program was my answer.
Of course also thank you to all the other T-Tappers out there and on the forums. You are all so supportive and sweet! And to my mother for always encouraging me and being there for me no matter how I was doing. To my kids, always a smile for me and a hug on a bad day. They are what I live for and keep going for. And of course to my husband, for never giving up on me, for always assuming I would make it and for supporting my decisions and for letting me buy all the DVD's my heart desires as well as an expensive treadmill. And thank you for reading and joining me here on my journey!
If you are just joining me, that is 11 days of consistent T-Tapp workouts while taking advantage of trainer Charlotte Seims 30 day virtual coaching program (I will not answer any questions regarding what specific workouts I am doing so as not to spoil this program she is selling, you will have to buy that information from her yourself, it wouldn't be right of me to share that with you, it is T-Tapp and that is all you need to know, :D ). So, here are the great things that have happened to me these past 11 days!
#1 I have in the past had a bad habit of staying up too late and not feeling rested, I now go to sleep sooner and sleep better. It is easier to fall asleep and easier to get up in the morning.
#2 I have increased flexibility in my legs, especially my right leg that has always been tight. Less nerve issues in it as well. And I continue to enjoy the healing that has occurred in my back thanks to T-Tapps primary back stretch.
#3 I notice more definition in my arms, sides, and hips.
#4 I have great energy levels throughout the day!
#5 Having suffered from much sadness and even depression following a tragedy in my life as well as probably from all the bad eating that followed, I am now feeling happy all day long! I have better focus and am really enjoying myself, for real. It is like a fog covering my brain has been lifted. :)
#6 Ladies you will love this one for sure, my PMS symptoms are hardly even noticeable. Most of them completely gone.
#7 This is a benefit I have enjoyed for a long time even through times of hardly any workouts, I haven't been sick in ages.
#8 Less swelling/bloating in general.
#9 Fewer cravings!
#10 I saved this one for last as it is just something that is personally very important to me. I have for most of my life had a passion for movement natural health and healing. My struggles for a fit body started when I married but mostly I over came those struggles until 3 years and 8 months ago. I lost my desire to try, to go on. My third pregnancy while healthy enough and ending with a wonderful home birth was difficult and uncomfortable. I got really big and especially since then have found most movement difficult, so difficult I stopped caring for a long time, lost that passion. I use to love to dance, to bike, to skate, to just move all the time. I loved to move and use my body for exercise and working. For these past several years it has been just plain unpleasant and even depressing to try. It mostly made me cry.
These past 11 days, for the first time in 3 years and 8 months, I have regained a passion for movement. I have picked up hobbies with a renewed passion and joy that I haven't experienced in ages. I feel alive again. It tears me up to just think about.
This workout has in the past and continues to touch my life in ways I never thought a workout could. It has worked to heal me so well and it has kept me from illness through massive emotional trauma and horrific amounts of overeating of junk foods. I really truly could not thank God enough for my finding this and for the great gift he gave Teresa Tapp as she created this workout.
Thank you to GOD almightly the great alpha and omega, creator of my soul and of my body; my body that works so well at healing itself when I care for it properly!
I want also to thank Teresa Tapp who besides creating this workout has through her generous giveaways and discounts (via super closeouts or her regular contest for free or discounted product) has enabled me to bless many others with the gift of the T-Tapp workout. Thank you to T-Tapp trainer Kirsten Tucker as I learned a lot in her class (my first T-Tapp class ever!), and to trainer Charlotte Seims for her wonderful online coaching program that has pulled me out of my slump of mostly not working out and into the world of consistent workouts! I prayed for an answer to this problem and her email about her latest coaching program was my answer.
Of course also thank you to all the other T-Tappers out there and on the forums. You are all so supportive and sweet! And to my mother for always encouraging me and being there for me no matter how I was doing. To my kids, always a smile for me and a hug on a bad day. They are what I live for and keep going for. And of course to my husband, for never giving up on me, for always assuming I would make it and for supporting my decisions and for letting me buy all the DVD's my heart desires as well as an expensive treadmill. And thank you for reading and joining me here on my journey!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Virtual coaching program, Day 10!
10 Days into this commitment to consistency, I have worked out 9 of those 10 days! I am happy with my consistency that is for sure.
I have been feeling good. Inch loss has been minimal. My thighs evened out and my arms lost a little bit as well as my abdomen. Waistline stayed the same. Am I disappointed? Maybe but not much. In my history of T-Tapp I lose quicker when I workout 3 times a week as opposed to daily. I expect to see more loss after this 30 day program is up and my muscles recover from the extra effort a bit more. :D
Another success I have enjoyed is increased flexibility. I used to not be able to pick my foot up behind me to stretch the front of my thigh, now I can with ease. At the beginning of this 10 days it would cause major leg cramps to even try. So, this is great. :)
I also have more energy, been sleeping better, and of course my back feels even better as I am doing many more back stretches than I was before. Everything just feels great all around! :D
What about weight? Well, if you know anything about T-Tapp, about how body weight is not a very good way to measure you success, you know I don't usually even weigh myself. I go by my health, my waist size, and how my clothes fit! Who cares if I end up being a heavy, fit and trim, size six? Not me! If I get there and am still 20 pounds more than I thought I would be, I don't really care. I like that muscle weight, that burns fat for me so the weight can stay as long as I get smaller!
As a matter of fact, I did weigh when I started the virtual coaching and you know what? AFter a week, I gained 4 pounds! Did I get bigger? NOPE Did my pants get tighter? NOPE So, you know what, who cares? Not me. In all actuality that may not even be a real gain, weight can fluctuate by up to five pounds every day! According to Dr. Oz's book "YOU: On a Diet", you should set a weight "range" to shoot for and combine it with measuring your waist to track your progress. There is no magic number for your weight. I am happy that in one week of consistent workouts I may have gained 4 pounds of muscle, that is GOOD news, not bad. So, I'm very happy about it. In the end I know I will lose some weight as I have many sizes to lose, so as the fat comes off and more muscle comes in it may balance out for while but in the end I know I will weigh less.
I was grateful to learn early in my life that inches count and pounds don't. I have always weighed more than I look, I don't know why, maybe just because I am tall? Who knows. When I was 15 I weighed around 140-145 and was very small waisted and slender wearing a size 4/6. At that age I began to figure skate, I must have gained a lot of muscle because; without gaining any height or getting any larger my weight shot up to 160! How can that be? Muscle, pure and simple. I didn't get any bigger, nor any taller but my size stayed a 4/6 and my weight 160 and when I grew a little taller, 165. I was pretty tall already, only an inch shorter than I am now at 28. So never forget, "inches count pounds don't"!
Now, when I broke a foot, gained a little tummy fat and wasn't working out due to my foot, then I LOST weight. Interesting no? I lost muscle pure and simple. So, why torture yourself with a scale? Throw it away and buy a tape measure instead. You will love it. Take monthly photos to see how your shape is changing and how you are firming up, but please don't weigh yourself weekly, that is such a joy stealer and certainly isn't motivating.
I have been feeling good. Inch loss has been minimal. My thighs evened out and my arms lost a little bit as well as my abdomen. Waistline stayed the same. Am I disappointed? Maybe but not much. In my history of T-Tapp I lose quicker when I workout 3 times a week as opposed to daily. I expect to see more loss after this 30 day program is up and my muscles recover from the extra effort a bit more. :D
Another success I have enjoyed is increased flexibility. I used to not be able to pick my foot up behind me to stretch the front of my thigh, now I can with ease. At the beginning of this 10 days it would cause major leg cramps to even try. So, this is great. :)
I also have more energy, been sleeping better, and of course my back feels even better as I am doing many more back stretches than I was before. Everything just feels great all around! :D
What about weight? Well, if you know anything about T-Tapp, about how body weight is not a very good way to measure you success, you know I don't usually even weigh myself. I go by my health, my waist size, and how my clothes fit! Who cares if I end up being a heavy, fit and trim, size six? Not me! If I get there and am still 20 pounds more than I thought I would be, I don't really care. I like that muscle weight, that burns fat for me so the weight can stay as long as I get smaller!
As a matter of fact, I did weigh when I started the virtual coaching and you know what? AFter a week, I gained 4 pounds! Did I get bigger? NOPE Did my pants get tighter? NOPE So, you know what, who cares? Not me. In all actuality that may not even be a real gain, weight can fluctuate by up to five pounds every day! According to Dr. Oz's book "YOU: On a Diet", you should set a weight "range" to shoot for and combine it with measuring your waist to track your progress. There is no magic number for your weight. I am happy that in one week of consistent workouts I may have gained 4 pounds of muscle, that is GOOD news, not bad. So, I'm very happy about it. In the end I know I will lose some weight as I have many sizes to lose, so as the fat comes off and more muscle comes in it may balance out for while but in the end I know I will weigh less.
I was grateful to learn early in my life that inches count and pounds don't. I have always weighed more than I look, I don't know why, maybe just because I am tall? Who knows. When I was 15 I weighed around 140-145 and was very small waisted and slender wearing a size 4/6. At that age I began to figure skate, I must have gained a lot of muscle because; without gaining any height or getting any larger my weight shot up to 160! How can that be? Muscle, pure and simple. I didn't get any bigger, nor any taller but my size stayed a 4/6 and my weight 160 and when I grew a little taller, 165. I was pretty tall already, only an inch shorter than I am now at 28. So never forget, "inches count pounds don't"!
Now, when I broke a foot, gained a little tummy fat and wasn't working out due to my foot, then I LOST weight. Interesting no? I lost muscle pure and simple. So, why torture yourself with a scale? Throw it away and buy a tape measure instead. You will love it. Take monthly photos to see how your shape is changing and how you are firming up, but please don't weigh yourself weekly, that is such a joy stealer and certainly isn't motivating.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Coaching program, Day 6!
Day six already. Tomorrow will be one week and is an "off" day. You may notice I am not posting exactly what workouts I am doing and when? Well, that is because this is a program that trainer Charlotte Seims is selling and I feel it wouldn't be right for me to share great detail of what I am doing.
I must say that it has been a blessing so far. Having my schedule already written out is really helping. I used to try to write my workouts down after the fact, that never worked for me. But, with a reasonable schedule set out ahead of time I feel like I have to stick with it. If I don't I won't get enough workouts in.
So, it is very motivating, the tips are great, I am going to miss them when the 30 days are up. I think I will make it a habit to do something with a trainer online a few times a year, this is really fun even though it is "virtual". :)
And, tomorrow is measuring day! Little nervous....
I must say that it has been a blessing so far. Having my schedule already written out is really helping. I used to try to write my workouts down after the fact, that never worked for me. But, with a reasonable schedule set out ahead of time I feel like I have to stick with it. If I don't I won't get enough workouts in.
So, it is very motivating, the tips are great, I am going to miss them when the 30 days are up. I think I will make it a habit to do something with a trainer online a few times a year, this is really fun even though it is "virtual". :)
And, tomorrow is measuring day! Little nervous....
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