It's Just A Setback

I wish the journey to weight loss was a straight line. Perhaps a few small hills would be acceptable. However, life is not in a straight line, so why would the journey to healthy living and weight loss be in a straight line? Setbacks do occur. They occur because life occurs. We have families, we have children, we have jobs, and life is imperfect. We are imperfect. It is ok to have a setback.

What occurs after the setback is the true test. How committed are you? How much do you want to achieve this goal in your life? Are you truly prepared to make all of the necessary changes?

I recently went away to visit my family out of state. I tried to eat healthy and fit in a few workouts but my family had other plans. Plus, I wanted to enjoy my time with them. Well, the result of my good time with them was an additional 2 whole pounds! Oh my goodness was I disappointed!! I wanted to be at my goal weight by the end of June. How am I going to get there now? Immediately disappointment set in and, despite all of my progress, my immediate response was to give up. Maybe I'd done enough. Maybe I can't loose anymore weight. But then I came across old photos of myself. I have come too far to give up now. The goal is in sight. So instead I've recommitted to the goal. I've recommitted to the plan

It is important, after a setback to setup realistic goals for yourself. Make sure they are goals that will challenge you but are also achievable.

My achievable weeks goals:

• This week I will workout Monday through Thursday.
• This week I will create a food plan.
• This week I will refrain from all versions of fast food (I love Wendy's lol!!).

What goals are you putting into place this week? Feel free to share below.

You Will Stumble

There will be days where you will not only want the doughnut but you'll eat the doughnut. You'll not only want the cake, but you'll eat TWO slices. 'Just one of them days that a girl goes through...' Yes this will happen.

The key to a stumble or a fumble is how you recover. What do you do after you eat the cake? After the doughnuts have traveled down your esophagus what is your next decision?

This next step will clearly show you where you are in your weight loss journey. Many stumble and then become frustrated and choose to continue to stumble the remainder day. The key is to excuse yourself the stumble and pick yourself back up again. Allow yourself a cheat meal or a cheat snack once a week. But a cheat day is not beneficial for you or your journey.

But what about holidays?  Some of you are thinking, 'but what the crap Tiffany? I just ate all day for Mother's Day'. Excuse yourself. It is ok, do not be so hard on yourself. It happens for all of us, even the most healthy of eaters have their days. I blew it on Mother's Day this year. However, I am also aware that it would've been so much worse a few month ago. I began my day with scrambled egg whites on a whole wheat English muffin and turkey bacon. Lunch was a disaster with red velvet cake, pound cake, vegetable fried rice, steamed broccoli, cranberry sauce and rotisserie chicken. Completely out of control! Never do I eat like this anymore. However, I share this with you so that you know that I am not perfect. For dinner, I had a bowl of fruit. Why? Because I totally bombed out for one meal and ate enough for several meals, but I was not gonna let it ruin my entire meal plan for the day. I picked myself back up and kept it moving, You can to!

Recognize your success in the midst of your stumble. It is not failure! Failure means you've given up. You have not given up! You are in this to win this. You won't stop until you've reached your goal. Believe that,  believe in yourself.

Move Your Body!

I believe the fear of failure is what holds many of us back from achieving our goals, particularly with weight loss. This was absolutely the case with me, I had already tried so many times to lose weight. How could I guarantee that this time would be different? Often times finding someone or something you can emotionally connect to will help to keep your focus in this weight loss journey.

For me dance is the most effective workout because I am motivated to move. You should know this about me -- I absolutely positively love to dance! Therefore early in my fitness journey, I began looking up dance workouts on YouTube. At the time I did not have a gym membership and wasn't ready to make that commitment again. However, I thought I could start my fitness journey with some free dance workouts.

In my YouTube search, I found two ladies who made me laugh and feel as though they were in the room with me was and that part of my success. Keaira Lashe and CLUB FITz are energetic, modern, and upbeat. They were absolutely instrumental in keeping me moving. I'd do a video in the morning, after work, and even when visiting my family during holiday seasons. My sisters and I would have Keaira Lashe workout parties in my parent's living room! If you love zumba, these videos are close to that experience. If possible, I'd recommend inviting a friend over to do them with you; but, if not, go ahead and have fun burning calories while feeling hot and sexy on your own too.

Another beneficial jump start to my fitness journey was one of my good friends, Marisa LaBoy. She is a zumba instructor and has now become a Beachbody Coach. At this point in my journey Marisa was an online fitness instructor who created a challenge group entitled the "21-Day F-AB-ULOUS FALL Challenge" for the month of November. She would provide daily workouts via a Facebook group and we had to post there when we completed the workouts. Marisa taught me about strength exercises and I learned to love them. Nothing makes me feel more powerful and strong than lifting some weights!

Between my online dance cardio workouts and the ab and strength exercises from Marisa, by December 9th I had lost 10 pounds!!!! The best part about that date is that it shows that what she taught me during this time stuck with me. I was able to make a lifestyle change, continuing to workout, make healthier choices, and lose weight despite the Thanksgiving holiday and even after the challenge group had ended.

It is important to find your groove, so to speak. Find the workout that best works for you. What makes you want to move? For my sister, it is running. For one of my friends, it is kickboxing. For others, it is yoga. Everyone is different and there are plenty of options out there in the world. today. Do your research, visit gyms, take classes, and ask your friends. Don't be ashamed and don't hesitate. If you want to try something new but don't want to invest too much into it yet, look for free introductory or trial classes. Whatever you decide to do, get your body moving!

The hardest part is getting up but, once you start moving, the rewards are so worth it. The key is finding activities that will keep you motivated.

An Example workout from Marisa LaBoy

Feeling motivated after a workout that Marisa had provided our challenge group

Begin a workout today! Move your body! 

Refuse to Give Up. Start Today

My Dad was a track coach during my high school years. I joined his team during my freshmen year hoping that because he was my Father that I therefore inherited his skills in this area. However, I quickly realized that this was not the case. I remember asking permission from my parents to quit the team as I wasn't making any progress. However, they informed me that I was not allowed to quit in the middle of the season. Through this experience, my parents taught me that year, that you finish whatever you start to the best of your ability. "It doesn't matter how slow you go, just as long as you don't stop".

Often times we give up in the middle of our weight loss journey. We give up for many reasons. For some we blame it on our schedules, for others we blame it on lack of progress, and then they are some of us who find the journey too hard. Improvement of any kind require change. A healthier version of you is gonna require a change in lifestyle and in your daily routine, but it is a change that you won't regret, I certainly don't.

One of the most crucial aspects of weight loss is getting your body moving. In the beginning I simply began by doing 7 minute workouts in the morning or evening. I soon realized I was capable of more than 7 minutes and increased my cardio time. After about a week my friends saw what I was doing and invited me to run with them in the morning. I began running for about 10 to 12 minuets, 3 times a week (maybe I didn't completely give up on track). Ultimately, the key is staying motivated. .


What is your goal? 

What do you want? 

Why are you doing this? 

Write it down.

Then stand up,
do 7 minutes, then do 14, and before you know it 
you've done a 21 minute workout.
Believe me when I tell you, you are more
than capable. 
You can do this!
Remember, you are worth it!

Finally, don't do this alone! Talk to a friend and find or develop a support group. Next post, I will share about my own support group, including a fall challenge group that my friend Marisa organized, Come back for more about that as well as some free and easy workout resources that I found online.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

In Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, a character asks, "How did you go bunkrupt?" The response is" "Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly." Weight gain often occurs the same way, in the beginning I was simply 10 pounds over weight.... Then I was 20 pounds over weight and before I knew it, that number had jumped to 30. I am 5'2 1/2 and that extra 30 pounds was becoming apparent on my face, in my belly, and in many other places as well.

It was the Christmas Eve of 2013 when I first realized that my weight gain was getting out of control. My grandmother is a typical Caribbean woman who says it like she means it. This particular Christmas Eve she did just that, while helping her in the kitchen, she informed me in one short, sweet statement how she felt, "I know men like them big now a days, but your butt is becoming border line". 

At this point I was a tad bit traumatized. My parents then offered to purchase a gym membership for me and for a time I was quite faithful. I loved the classes and I went often, but as many know, the journey to fitness and health is rarely in a straight line. Many of us give up when we don't see progress as quickly as we'd like. Unfortunately that is exactly what occurred with me. Eventually I ended my membership and regained the weight I had managed to loose.

It was not until a year later when I finally became sick and tired of being sick and tired as the saying goes. I began my journey afresh on October 26th, 2014. I first began by purchasing an app called "Noom" which I am still using now. I love it! Through this app I loaded my weight and my measurements. This app allows me to load my meals and tells me how healthy or unhealthy they are (extremely helpful for beginners). It also gives me daily articles in conjunction with my own progress. They even send me encouraging messages from time to time. Honestly it is this app that truly assisted me in jump starting my journey. By November 29th I had lost 7 pounds! Fast forward to today and I am down 23 pounds altogether!!!!!! 

This has not been an easy journey and I am committed to continuing my progress. I invite you to join me! On this blog I intend to post my workouts and food recipes that I find are working for me in order to also aide you. No one climbs a mountain in one big leap, you climb a mountain one step at a time. Climb with me! 

                                                                   

Motivation Comes From Within

As of today I have lost 23 pounds! This journey to wellness and health officially began for me around October 2014. Like many of us I tried unsuccessfully  to lose weight and be fit way too many times to even count. I joined and rejoined gyms but to no avail. This time around, I simply became sick and tired of being overweight and not being able to wear what I wanted to wear. I do believe you have to get to that place for yourself. No one can get you there, you have to be self-motivated to make the necessary changes. I am not going to lie to you and say it is easy to make the necessary changes. However, what I will tell you is that it is worth it and it is fulfilling. These pictures are from this Easter weekend, they make me excited for summer and to rock a bikini. When that time comes, I will post my picture from last summer alongside of it for you all to see. Fitness and health are a journey, but it is a journey to a newer better you. It comes with many rewards and not all of them are internal. On this blog, I will share what works for me. I am not a fitness trainer or a nutritionist. I am a simply a special education teacher sharing my life with you. I hope you enjoy as I share pieces of me with you.   

Jacket: Lauren Conrad
Dress: Lauren Conrad
Stockings: Vera Wang
Jewelry: Costume Jewelry
All items purchased from Kohl's