Where I'm At

It's hard to be where I am at, since my 30s, I've drastically changed how I view food, how I eat and the list goes on.  Plus, I love exercise.  But, I find myself where I am and it's simply not good.  A year ago, I was on the right road.  I had finished Ageless Abs with Scott Colby, in his initial offering of that group.  My bodyfat dropped 11% in 12 weeks.  Albeit, the actual scale weight was 7 lbs and I replaced that with more muscle and some water.  I had gone from a tight size 15/16 to a tight size 12 or loose size 14.  I can't remember the overall body inches I had lost, but it was a bunch.

There was a 3 month gap between Ageless Abs 1 and 2, but during that time, I incorporated Zuzana Light's BodyRock TV workouts there as I sort of fudged more on my diet.  As I included more jump roping into my workouts, the pounds started to drop quicker.  I was motivated.  Within a month, I had dropped another 7 lbs or so. 

As things started to heat up with my ex-husband, I stalled.  The stress levels and getting sick from the stress did me in for another 5 wks or so and gained back a couple pounds, then I just poured myself back into healthier eating.and the weight came off again and a little more.   This was the end of April'11 now.  But, then some really awful things came to light regarding my ex and then for the next 7 months, I was in and out of court 8 times for one thing or another, mostly dealing with my ex.

So, the 15-16 lbs I had dropped that equated to about 12% bodyfat in less than 7 months.  How fantastic.  But, I was unable to deal with the stress of everything and began to eat.  Sugar is my nemesis, I found out, in Ageless Abs.  THAT was the reason why my body didn't want to release fat or allow me to get good sleep regularly, or that it caused my extreme high/low crashes nearly every day. 

Anyway, over the course of those 7 months, I regained back all the weight, plus another 5-6 lbs on top of that.  My bodyfat isn't quite back to where it was when I began the initial Ageless Abs in Sep'10, but it's not too far from there.

I was complaining to my doctor about my weight gain and my inability to lose, so coupled with an ER visit in December that I thought was something else, she ordered tests to do a more thorough checking of me.  Not going to share my results.  Not everything was bad, but something that was never an issue became a big issue.  She isn't sure if that test was correct or not - the results, so she's giving me 4-5 weeks to straighten up my eating and get back to regular exercise.

Admittedly, the past 3 weeks, since I've been doing more freelance work, I haven't felt the energy to exercise.  It's a 2-way street as exercise would give me more energy.  However, my diet has been erratically healthy/non-healthy.  What my doctor said was NOT good and if it's true, it'll change my life and I don't want it changed in that manner.

A friend of mine recommended I get a book by Jorge Cruise, Belly Fat Cure Fast Track, and read it, do it. 

It's not like I don't know how to eat healthy, as the Ageless Abs eating plan is similar to Isabella de Los Rios's "The Diet Solution".  All of it is good stuff, and I KNOW that if I keep my sugars low, cut out starchy foods and greatly minimize on grains, no white flour or refined sugar, plenty of whole foods, lots of water, lean proteins/wild fish, nuts, lots of fibrous veggies and fruit in moderation, good oils, no processed foods, legumes, this is the diet that works for helping me drop bodyfat.

Too much sugar in my diet, including fruit, keeps me fat and unhealthy.  Not good.  And, I need to make sure to basically eat every 3 hrs or so.

Something I heard Joel Marion say was to have a cheat day once a week and the day after a cheat day should be a fast day.  I don't exactly remember why, but you'll burn more fat this way.  THAT I've never done and I don't like fasting.  However, I don't want to have any chronic diseases and if doing this for a few months will help reverse anything I could potentially have, it would be worth it.

Wakeup Call!!!  Bringggggg . . .  Rinnnnnggg!

Today I'm beginning reading Jorge's book.

I've prayed and asked God to really give me strength, stamina, and His self-control to make good eating choices, as well as going to bed before 11 pm, keeping sugars low, staying away from things that convert to sugar easily, and get at least 30 min. of exercise in a day.

Not going to make a resolution or set lofty goals that I can't achieve.  However, I am putting a stake in the ground here for the rest of my life to enact "The Compound Effect" that small changes done consistently for long periods will result in GREAT changes in the long run.  This works for either negative or positive things, or neutral.

I really don't know if I will document religiously how I normally like to document, as my schedule is pretty busy and I don't want it to be an excuse for me NOT making good choices.  Maybe it'll be just 1-3 goals a day to accomplish.  I don't know yet.

Whatever I do, it's gotta be doable for the long haul.  It's not a diet, rather a lifestyle change.

Maybe what's the biggest challenge is that my biggest bad habit is inconsistency, which is deadly.  I know how to eat healthy for my body and really do love good whole foods.  It's been years since I actually bought white flour or refined sugar.  However, some of the snack treats I get for my kids and I, they do contain those things.  So, now it's eliminating those things from our home and keeping only the good stuff - the stuff God made.

I'm asking God to reveal to me what my issues with exercise, food, sleep, body are for me.  They are all interconnected and I've really yoyo'd the same 15-25 lbs many times over the past 15 yrs.  Really, it's not good.  I'm sure that I've lost more than my bodyweight in doing this.  Sad, eh?

No time like the present to start and doing it now.  Making one choice at a time, one day at a time, one meal at a time, rather than looking at the days, weeks, months, and possibly years ahead.  I want to have a fantastic quality of life of a fit body, mind, and spirit.  Getting back on the horse, AGAIN!