How to Come Back From a Weekend of Fun (and Food)...

    

Summer is upon us! It is a time of the 4 "F"s: family, friends, fun and also food...So many summertime foods are just too good to pass up. And with all the summer barbecues and camp fires that are approaching, it is important for me to remember my goals of losing weight and not binge on all the pleasures (food) that summer brings!

This weekend...haha...that wasn't the case 🙄

This Memorial Day Weekend, my family purchased a new fire "pit". It was so cool and so much fun being able to hang out with family and friends and have s'mores! And yes...I did have s'mores! 😝 This weekend was a really fun weekend and it was not as awful as it potentially could have been with all the s'mores, burgers, hot dogs, and hard soda's. I was really happy to be able to control myself a lot more than I normally would have done. The reason is because I inputted EVERYTHING into my calorie counting app called "Lose It!" and didn't lie. This was the first step in assuring that I didn't lie to myself and knew what I was consuming. 

On Friday, I ended up going over my calories by 150 and Saturday I managed to stay under my calories. 🙏🏻

So, now that the weekend is basically over, I am here thinking of how to get back on track and continue the process towards my goal. For anyone that has "fallen of the wagon" this decision can make or break your weight loss journey. You are left with two choices. No. 1: Continue eating unhealthy and abandon your goals of losing weight or No. 2: You start a new day and keep taking steps towards your healthier lifestyle. 

I personally have already taken steps to get over my "bad weekend". Today, I tracked all my calories and was sure to not go over. I also went and worked out today to try and work off my weekend "fluff". 

I would love to encourage you and let you know that just because you had a bad day or a bad weekend does not mean that you are so far gone and that you have to abandon any hope of losing weight. Take it from someone who has fallen of the wagon so many times, yet here I am back on and continuing down the road to a healthier me! 😬 

Some tips to bounce back from a weekend of over eating: 

(http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/what-to-do-after-overeating?page=1)

• Relax! No one is perfect in their eating habits. The key is to not make a habit out of it.
• Don't Give Up! You may have a bad day, that just means to be more conscious the next. 
• Cut Back A Bit, But Not Too Much! Don't try to skip meals to make up for the calories you ate. That will give you the opposite affect. Instead, cut back throughout the day with a series of small meals packed with fruits and vegetables.
• Skip the Scale! You will probably weigh more, but that's not because you've gained body fat. It could be water retention. 
• Stick To Your Regular Workout! Don't try to do a MEGA WORKOUT to get rid of all the excess calories. 
• Track Your Calories (if you aren't already)! This helps keep you aware of all that you are eating. 

Continue on your journey! We are all on this journey together and we will overcome our struggles one day at a time! 

Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

It is so important to remember that lifestyle changes do not show results overnight. Just because I eat less calories and go to the gym does not mean that I am going to lose 5 pounds a week. Nor is that really healthy when trying to lose weight in this manner.

I am happy to announce that I have lost 1 pound this week! 🤗 This is just further motivation to keep doing what I am doing! It shows me that it is possible to overcome this struggle and with God's help and provision I am overcoming! In the grand scheme of things, 1 pound is not a lot compared to all I have to lose...But I know that if I continue what I'm doing, I will reach my goal to not only a fitter me but a healthier me!

While I may not be seeing results physically in weight, I am definitely seeing results physically in my mental state. I feel so much happier and my stress level has definitely decreased as well as my anxiety. 

So one piece of encouragement I can offer anyone trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, don't be discouraged if you don't see results right away. You didn't gain the weight overnight, and you won't lose it overnight. But if you keep up with your plan and stick with it, you will see results! Just keep motivated and stick with it. Some weeks will be better than others. Some weeks you may lose weight and others you might gain. It is all a part of the process. 

These lyrics come to mind from Mandisa's "Overcomer" (video link down below). 

"You're an overcomer. 

Stay in the fight 'til the final round. 

You're not going under. 

'Cause God is holding you right now.

You might be down for a moment, 

feeling like it's hopeless. 

That's when He reminds you, 

that you're an overcomer!"

It's Never Too Late to Start!

For me, the hardest part of getting back into shape is finding the motivation to do so. I find it so much easier to just sit on the couch and watch YouTube videos of Shane Dawson eating some obscenely fatty foods or family vloggers running around with their kids hoping and dreaming I'll have that one day. There is just one problem about that...I'm never going to get anywhere closer to my goal if I don't do anything to achieve it. While it would be so much more fun to partake in those activities, I know I will look back and wish that I had done more to better myself. I don't think I will ever regret not watching enough YouTube videos. 

So often, people reach a point where they want to change but they feel as if it is too late, that changing now won't make a difference, or that they aren't ready for a drastic change! That is not the case! It is never too late nor does it have to be drastic! All it takes is little changes such as: limiting your soda intake, drinking more water, cutting back on certain foods, etc. Those little changes will help you to start to feel better and realize that your goal is indeed attainable! 

As of May 10th, 2016, I started tracking my daily calorie intake using a wonderful app called "Lose It!". Now keep in mind, it is not the app that is helping me lose weight or feel better. It is myself making conscious choices in regards to what I eat. I track everything I eat, good or bad. I make sure I don't leave anything out. That does not mean that I deprive myself of things that I like such as: ice cream, cookies, and coffee (I love coffee 😍). However with counting calories, I am much more aware of what I am eating and how much I am eating. So on occasion, if my calories allow me to, I may treat myself to a cookie or an ice cream cone from Hasty Freeze. I don't believe depriving yourself is a good way to lose weight, because all it will take is one bad or stressful day and that will be the first thing you grab. And I can honestly say that whenever I am stressed out, the LAST thing I look at is the serving size. But remembering that having things in moderation allows you to enjoy those treats without feeling guilty. 

Since counting calories, I also look for alternatives to things that I love. A prime example is coffee. I love coffee, but going to Starbucks everyday and getting my favorite drink (Iced White Chocolate Mocha w/ estimated calories for a grande = 450) is definitely not beneficial to my weight loss goals. That doesn't mean that I will NEVER get a drink at Starbucks again, but I will not make it a regular occurrence. Instead, I search the internet (mostly Pinterest) for recipes on how to make coffee taste good, but not have too many calories. I now have a coffee "recipe" that I can make that tastes great and still is under 100 calories. Très Magnifique!

So, this is my journey thus far. Making small changes and living a healthier lifestyle. I can tell you from my personal experience that these changes have made an impact on my life already. I feel better physically, not as weighed down by all the unhealthy foods I was eating. I feel better mentally, knowing that I can in fact free myself from the burden of food. And knowing this fact has made me realize that with these little changes I can become the best version of me, both mentally and physically. It won't be easy, nor will it happen over night. However, once I reach my goal, I will be able to look back at my journey and say, "It was TOTALLY worth it!"

A Long and Tough Journey ~ Purpose of Blog

Hello There! First off, I want to thank you for checking out my blog. This is a project I have been considering for quite awhile now, and I am so glad that you have taken the time to read my story.

Unfortunately, this story does not start out happy and full of wonder. It starts out with a war. A war within myself. 

For as long as I can remember, I have been fighting this war, and felt like it would not end with me as the winner. There have been so many days where I felt like giving up...I felt like I just couldn't overcome this struggle and should just give in...I felt controlled by food and being overweight...That is my second biggest enemy.

This war started to affect so many other areas of my life and brought to light my biggest enemy. The one thing that was holding me back from winning this war was ultimately myself. I started to become depressed and felt horrible about who I was. I wasn't a bad person, I just didn't like how I looked or felt. As I began to feel more and more helpless, my depression grew and so did my anxiety. For those of you who know what this feels like...you know it's not a fun feeling at all...It's one of the worst feelings to be honest. You feel anxious about all that you have to do, but also feel so depressed that you just...don't do anything. 

I tried hard to hide all that was going on inside myself, but those closest to me knew that I was at war. They tried to help me, but I couldn't get over the thoughts that filled my mind, dragging me down to the point where I felt like I could not return.

Years later, I have realized that I have not lost this war and I am nowhere near the point of no return. The only way I will lose is when I give up on myself. And I can't and won't let that happen!

The purpose of this blog is to reach people who deal with the same things I have dealt with for so long, and still deal with to this day. Having problems with food and body image can really impact your life and I am taking the long journey towards finding a healthier me. And this journey will be life-long because at any moment my enemies can come back and try to over power me. But I can't let them win. Not then, not now, not ever! 

This blog also serves the purpose of being a way for me to document my journey. The ups and the downs. Learning to celebrate the little victories and also remember the short comings. Only then can I see progress and know that I am fighting and not giving up on myself.

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength!" ~ Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

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