Vanity

Clean eating has become a part of my lifestyle, and I'm a better person because of it. But now ... it's not working anymore. Well, that's not quite right. I don't want anyone to think clean eating doesn't work. It DOES work, I just need to find out exactly what my body needs to blast me out of this plateau of immense proportions. I thought I was making progress last week, but am at a standstill once again.

On the plus side, I've maintained my weight loss, while actually increasing muscle mass. That's a good thing, right?

You know, as a Former Fat Girl, I know it all. I know all the tricks, all the advice, all the tips.

Stuck in a plateau? You gotta shake things up! Try a new workout! Switch up your meals! Drink more water! A plateau is just your body tackling fat it's been carrying around for a long time! It's not what the scale says, it's how you feel! You may not be losing any weight, but you're losing inches!

Yep, I know it all, and have encouraged many people with these very words. And I'm not saying they're lies or untrue or good for nothing. I think each response is very valid, and does work.

I appreciate and am extremely grateful for the important changes living a healthy lifestyle has given me - increased strength and endurance. A stronger heart. I sleep better at night. I no longer suffer from GERD. I am completely off my blood pressure medication. I have reversed my fatty liver.

Yeah, well, is it too much to ask to look good too? LOL

What I'm finally going to admit is that ... I've become a teensy, weensy, little bit of a vain person ... I want to have buns of steel, six pack abs, and glamour muscles to die for.

And that's why I continue to do what I'm doing. I refuse to give up - instead of throwing in the towel, I'm using it to wipe the sweat off my face!

Working out as hard as I do and seeing the same thing in the mirror in the morning can be pretty discouraging some days (thus my abnormal "boo-hoo" tweet yesterday morning. Thank you all for your sweet words and DMs!)

You know, this whole weight loss thing can be a pain in the kiester! The thing is, you can get advice from every single person you know (and quite a few you don't know) but the bottom line is you need to figure out what works best for YOU, and figure out if it's something you can follow for a lifetime.

So, with that said, I'm going to sit down, read a bunch of books (like this one), and figure out my new nutrition program. I'm a very exact and precise person when it comes to my nutrition, so my goal is to come up with my benchmark caloric ceiling based up on my activity level, and then figure out my meal plan from there. I'm going to involve the kids with this because there's a great deal they can learn from this - from a nutrition standpoint as well as a financial standpoint as well.

I probably won't get started tonite because it's my son's birthday ;) but within the next few days for sure. The vain person in me is anxious and impatient, I want to look good NOW, goshdarnnit! But I know whatever I figure out, I will need to give myself a good few weeks to one month to see how my body reacts to the new changes. And yes, I'll be sure to come back here to report my findings and results!



Here's a recap of yesterday's workout:

5 min warm up on elliptical

A1: Squat and shoulder press on functional trainer (20 lbs)
A2: Mountain climbers
A3: Boxing
A4: Reverse flies on functional trainer (14 lbs)
* Repeat this set 3 times

B1: Hip-ups on medicine ball
B2: Standing obliques on functional trainer (10 lbs)
B3: Bicep curls (30 lbs)
B4: Crunches on bosu trainer
* Repeat this set 3 times

HIIT 13 minutes

And here's a recap of today's workout:

5 minute warmup on elliptical

A1: Chest press with rotation and crunch on the bench. 15 lbs dumbbells for 1st set, 20 lbs for 2nd and 3rd sets.
A2: Upright row with twist using functional trainer while on stability ball. 15 lbs for 1st and 2nd sets, 18 lbs for 3rd set.
A3: Knee tucks on stability ball (my new favorite!)
A4: Box jumps
*Repeat this set 3 times

B1: Incline chest press on bench. 15 lbs dumbbells for 1st and 2nd set, 20 lbs for 3rd set.
B2: Lat pulldown using functional trainer while kneeing on ground.
B3: Tricep press on stability ball. 8 lbs dumbbells
B4: Crunches on bosu trainer.

13 mins HIIT

We're hitting the pool tonite to celebrate my son's birthday - it's the hottest day of the year, with the heat index at 102 degrees, so the pool will probably be crowded beyond belief. I'm hoping to get a few laps in, but we'll see. If the pool is crowded, they may take the lane markers down to accommodate all the kiddies. Hope everyone has a great night!

xo,


"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement." Brian Tracy

2 comments:

Melanie said...

I love that you are involving your children, it is so great for them to learn alongside you. That's something we need to do more of in our family. We're overall healthy eaters, but we don't discuss nutrition with them. Thanks for the idea!

Jen said...

LOVE your new site!!! I just wanted to say to you: PLEASE don't stay away from me even if you have decided against the coaching thing. I know you were going to sign up on Friday...but if you've changed your mind or want to wait....that is totally fine! I still want to be your buddy and whether or not you sign up has NOTHING to do with that! Okay? I still hope you'll do it just because I know you'll be the bomb-diggity at it...but never ever ever let me pressure you! okay? You are one of the coolest new friends I've made and I don't want you to feel like you "owe" me anything!!

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