Weekly Weigh In: I Already Blew It, So It Doesn't Matter What I Eat!

I read something last week that said "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up!" Well, isn't that just about the most applicable statement you've ever read when it comes to taking care of your health and/or losing weight?!

Change happens immediately, but sometimes progress is slower than others. It might be due to curve balls thrown at us (beyond our control) that knock us off balance. It might be due to our own wavering commitment. The important thing is that we continue to move in the direction of our goal. 

You've heard "Rome wasn't built in a day", or "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" "A child learns to walk one step at a time." These statements are applicable when we have made a change and are working towards a goal. While the "change" happens immediately, the results take a little longer to show up.

Let me clarify. You don't "ease into" making a change. It doesn't take a long time to make a change. It sometimes takes a long time "decide" to make a change, or to be ready to make the commitment. You can think about it for a long time, but the moment you make the decision to change, you've made a change. The change in our thought process and our actions happens immediately. The results, however, don't happen immediately.


Just thinking about it and telling yourself that you "should" eat healthier or exercise more isn't making a change. Even telling yourself that you "want to" or "need to" isn't making a change. Saying "I will" and "I am" and then taking the required steps is making a change. Here are some ideas for implementing Healthy Habits.


When you decide you are going to change the way you eat by adding fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein and whole grains to your diet, you do it. When you decide to eliminate processed food or fried food from your diet, you do it. You make the change today and your health begins to improve immediately. But it will take a number of days to see the full affect of this change. Educating yourself on the nutritional value of the food you eat is a "step". Each good food choice you make today is a "bite" of your elephant. Each day that you follow the plan that you have committed to is another "day" towards building your Rome.


So you indulged in the fresh apple fritter your husband brought home from the bakery Saturday morning. Or you went out to eat for date night and ate a little, (okay a LOT) too much. Does that mean that the steps you've taken don't matter and aren't helping you reach your goal? Of course not!

When a child is learning to walk, they take a step and fall down. No one tells them to just stay on the floor because it's hopeless and they will never learn to walk anyway! Instead, everyone claps their hands, congratulates them for the steps they did take and makes all sorts of sounds to positively reinforce the child. We then reach down to give them a hand to hold so they can stand up and try again.

So what do you tell yourself when you splurge on something that doesn't fit into your "healthy food" plan? What do you tell yourself when you finish a big dinner and then dessert on top of it and now feel uncomfortable with a full and bloated stomach? Have you ever said, "I already blew it today, so it doesn't matter what I eat the rest of the day!"? (Come on, be honest.)

That's like saying, "I already dropped my phone, so I'll just stomp on it til it's broken!"  Seriously? Don't be ridiculous, you say? I'll just pick my phone up, dust it off and it will be fine.

If you stepped off the curb and then looked up to see that the light wasn't green for you to cross, would you just keep walking into the middle of the street and say, "Oh, well, I'm already off the curb...so what if I get hit."? 

I love analogies! The same principle applies to your goals. So you stepped off the curb of your healthy eating plan. If you stay there you may get run over, and recovery will be a lot harder. Acknowledge that you chose to do it. Then step right back up. I love My Friend Marie's Attitude about running her own race.


In my last Weekly Weigh In I had stepped off the curb and gained some weight. I didn't even weigh because I knew I was up; I didn't care how much, I just resolved to take care of it. This week I lost whatever I had gained, plus another 2 lbs.


I am committed to eating the whole "elephant". I am building a pretty cool "Rome". I am very aware that I am also dealing with some major curve balls being thrown at me right now. But I am committed to my health! I am committed to me! The change is made. My commitment is strong. Each day is a step towards my desired result! Click here for more Weekly Weigh Ins.


Have you committed to change in your health? Do you know what steps you need to take to achieve your goal? To leave a comment Click Here.

Weekly Weigh In: Unleash Your Sexy Beast!

This week I used a combination of juicing and eating. After a 7-day Juicing Jump Start, I felt so good that I wanted to continue it. Unfortunately, we had three days in a row with events, at which we ate some not so good food (and too much, considering how much we have been taking in).


The interesting thing to me was the contrast in how I slept and felt after eating vs. how I slept and felt the next day after juicing. When I was juicing only, I always felt energetic and alert. I fell asleep quickly and slept more deeply than I have in years. I normally require 8 hours of sleep to feel great. During the week of juicing I got 6-6.5 hours each night and felt wonderful. It wasn't that I set my alarm and only allowed myself that amount of sleep. I still went to bed expecting to get 8 hours, but I would wake up after about 6 hours, feeling fully rested, wide awake and energetic. I am still absolutely impressed with the incredible amount of energy I have when juicing.

I start every morning with a pint jar of fresh citrus juice. Citrus is full of natural sugar so it is instant energy. I never need caffeine or sugar. It's worth noting that since starting my 7-days of juicing I haven't craved sugar AT ALL! It is amazing how the body does not crave sugar when it gets plenty of natural sugars (fruit) and intense nutrition satisfying what our bodies really need.


Even though you may be eating a lot, if you are not getting the nutrition that your body needs, you are actually creating a malnutrition situation. We tend to think of malnutrition in the context of people who don't get enough food and are dying of starvation. The truth is, you can actually be overweight and suffering from malnutrition. The definition of malnutrition is: "Lack of proper nutrition; inadequate or unbalanced nutrition". Your body has certain nutritional requirements in order to function properly. When those needs aren't met, your body starts craving. Without proper nutrition your body feels lethargic and tired and craves energy. In a nutshell, that's when you find yourself craving sugar for quick energy. If you notice that you crave food in general, and sugar specifically, when you haven't had enough sleep, that is what's happening. It isn't that you are extra hungry that day; it's that your body is craving energy and nutrition.

Back to the citrus juice. This time of year we have plenty of fresh citrus on the trees in Arizona, USA. In our yard we have oranges and tangelos. We have two trees of those little "cuties" you see ads for, enticing kids to eat them. They are really sweet and have great flavor. The only problem is that they have a lot of seeds. Because they are small and have lots of seeds, they are difficult to cut with this awesome Citrus Technique. They do make great juice however. I regularly juice them along with oranges and grapefruits (plenty of friends with extra grapefruits on their trees) so there is always a pitcher of fresh citrus juice in the fridge. Yes, mix all the juice together...equal parts grapefruit and orange. It makes the most fabulous fresh juice!

However, I like my citrus juice REALLY pulpy. So I will take a couple grapefruits and oranges (about 8 regular size oranges to 2 grapefruits), cut them up using the Citrus Technique  and then throw them in my Vita-mix on low speed. I fill my pint jars half way with this blended citrus and then fill them the rest of the way with regular citrus juice from the pitcher in the fridge. YUM! Super pulpy and filling. If you don't like all the pulp, then juice them regularly and fill your jars.


I have learned that when I go to bed with an empty stomach I sleep much better. If your body isn't spending all night trying to digest and process the food sitting in your stomach when you go to bed, it can relax and regenerate. It definitely makes for a more restful night of sleep.


So, what about weight loss this week? I did lose 2.5 lbs this week. I'm pretty happy to have lost anything considering all the events around food this week. I'm going to juice again for a few days. And definitely lay low this weekend (read:stay away from events which revolve around food!) I have 29 lbs to go and exactly 10 weeks to lose it to meet my goal by my birthday, June 7th. I'm on a roll!


I read this on the internet the other day: "They say you are what you eat. I don't remember eating a sexy beast this morning!" That's where we're headed friends! Find a reason. Make a commitment. Join in! Unleash your sexy beast!!






What is your health goal?