New Year, New Beginnings

Hello, all! I hope your holidays were marvelous!

It's 2013 now. Woah.

It's clear that I've hit a serious plateau...that ended this week. I'm giving myself until this summer to lose the last 25 lbs. I've got a goal and I've got a deadline. I've had enough of paying for Weight Watchers. It's time to get serious and get healthy.

I've got a support system now. This is what has changed. My boss and co-worker (bless their hearts) have both joined Weight Watchers and we're working to hold each other accountable. I'm telling you guys that this support system is magic! I'm even starting to go to the gym (tomorrow's my first day back to running). I had a different co-worker approach me about running a half marathon at the end of April and I'm actually considering it.

Find your niche.

Find out what your weaknesses are and problem solve! Learn how to fix them and change them!

Another issue I've been having is avoiding trying on clothes. That has ended since I've begun working at The Limited. I sell clothes, therefore I have to wear the clothes. I've been trying on a lot of clothing and have been very conscious of my size. I understand that this isn't beneficial for everyone...but it's beneficial for me. It's worth trying! It feels amazing to grab a size and know that it's too big. 

It's a new year, guys. I think it's time for a new you  too. =)

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Christmas Spreads

Christmastime is heeeere
happiness and cheeeeer....

and lots and lots of sweets and treats and goodies!

Holy hannah, I can picture the Christmas party spread already. I'm not here to preach in this post...I'm actually here to tell you to give yourself a break!

When I was thinking about my goals for this holiday season I realized that pretty much anything more than a 5 lb. weight loss (through the whole season) is unrealistic. I decided that come January I would be more than happy to just weigh the same. I don't want to feel like a failure throughout the holidays...you shouldn't either! It's okay to enjoy those Christmas goodies (heavens knows I will).

The last thing I want to worry about right now is my weight. I want to enjoy time with family and friends. I want to focus on the reason for the season. I want to forget all about my weight struggle.

I'm telling you to enjoy yourself.

I'm not telling you to eat whatever you want. You should still be mindful of what you're putting in your mouth...just don't let it rule over all you do this season. We can make it through this holiday season by focusing on the fun stuff.

If you find yourself struggling at a Christmas spread: change the scenery. Go to another room. Buy a stress ball. Brush your teeth. Chew some gum. There are things you can do to survive. Make it happen...and don't beat yourself up if you don't!

As always, comment, repin, +1, share, tweet, etc. to share these great tips with others!

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Yoga

Okay. I know, I know...you're all thinking, "you said yoga wasn't your thing!" I did, in fact, say that (verbally, not on the blog). I didn't, however, actually try it. Guys, I've changed my mind.

I admit that I haven't gone to a class or anything like that, but I've recently acquired a Wii Fit (thanks, Jen!) and I've been loving the yoga. No joke. I love it! I've even been looking into yoga classes in the area (though, of course, I can't afford it at the moment).

The moral of this story: don't dis it 'til you've tried it!

I hate running. I do it because I feel like I have to. I genuinely enjoy the yoga. I do it because I want to. It's a very strange feeling to find a type of exercise that I enjoy. I believe I've found my niche. I highly encourage you to find yours! There are so many different types of exercise that it's nearly impossible to not find something you enjoy! Guys, I'm exercising via the Wii. This is monumental!!! Honestly, movement of any sort is a good thing. You could count gardening as exercise for heaven's sake! Come this winter you can even count shoveling snow (though that's not exactly fun)!

I want you guys to make it your goal for the week to find something that you like to do! Do it!

Update on the no-snacks-after-7:30-thing: Working great! I know I can't eat after that time so I don't sit and snack every night. I'm loving it...and it's working! I was down 1.8 pounds this past week! I am sooo close to having lost 30 pounds. I'm hoping my new dealio will help get me there this week. =)

Good luck to y'all!

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Holiday Preparations

I am convinced that the holidays were invented to bring destruction and chub onto my body. Seriously. With Halloween out of the way, we are now on the fast-track to food-fest, er, holiday season. =) This is a tough time of year for those of us who are working to lose body mass rather than gain it...and then some.

So, how do I prepare for the inevitable smorgasbord of food that will be passing my way?

1. Mindset
Believe it or not, your outcome is based largely in part by how you feel going into something. For instance, if I go into a vacation expecting to overeat and expecting to gain weight, I probably will. If you go in planning on doing a good job than you're less likely to fall off the bandwagon! Go into this holiday season with a good head on your shoulders and the plan to do well!

2. Plan Ahead
If you know you have a holiday party coming up make sure you really follow your weight loss plan the rest of the week. Don't use your upcoming party as an excuse to eat whatever you want. Don't say, "I have a party and I'm gonna gain weight anyway!" No! Know that you have an upcoming event and that you will need to save your "bonus" points until that event! I mean it! If you do it I'll do it. =)

3. Don't Quit
I know that parties are tough. If you do fall prey to the holiday food-fest, don't kick yourself! Use it as motivation to do better! Know that if you fall off the bandwagon it's waiting right there for you to get back on! Really, the bandwagon doesn't move without you on it! I swear! Never ever ever give up...ever.

4. Bring A Diet-Friendly Option
We all have that dreaded potluck party. Bring a healthy option! I know you probably have that "one dish" that you bring to everything, but maybe you can edit that one dish to be healthier...or bring a new dish altogether that could become another crowed favorite! You are the boss of you. You can try and say that you have no control over parties like that, but you have control over you. Be your own boss!

5. ASK
Oftentimes, we have family parties where I don't necessarily need to cook. We'll go over to my grandparents house and have a nice family meal. I'm sure some of you do the same thing! It's not difficult to pick up the phone and call your host/hostess and inquire as to what you'll be having for dinner. It's not difficult and I'm sure your host/hostess will not mind a bit (in fact, they'll probably commend you for the work you're doing to achieve your weight loss goal)! Suck it up and ask, guys, it'll do you (and your bodacious bod) a world of good!

6. Don't Quit
I repeat, don't quit! I can't stress this enough! Do NOT throw in the towel. If you need help and encouragement I'm always a comment/e-mail/facebook message away!

So, you guys, this is how I'm preparing for the dreaded holiday season. Hopefully these tips will be useful for you as well!

P.S. For the record, my "no snacks after 7:30" deal is working (except Halloween, of course)! My late-night snack attacks are non-existent! Woot woot! I'll still update you as time goes on...I'm aware it's only been a few days. Haha. Baby steps! =)

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My Little Experiment

So, it's no secret that I love to snack...seriously...I love snacking. My biggest obstacle with Weight Watchers is snacking in the evenings. Evenings are my time to relax and chill with my wonderful husband. This usually consists of turning on Netflix and chomping on popcorn or some other sweet or salty snack. It's great at the time, but it's not so great when I weigh in each week.

I'm doing an experiment.

I've decided to try to NOT eat anything after 7:30 p.m. I set an alarm on my phone to help me remember this little idea of mine.

Obviously, I'll have to keep y'all posted on my results, but I encourage you to try something like this as well! Finding out where your weaknesses are is important and finding out ways to fix them is important too! I'm super hopeful that this will be a great thing for my diet as I've been such a slacker as of late. If any of y'all come up with ideas for what you're doing to get rid of your weaknesses, share them in the comments! Your feedback is helpful for both myself and others! Make it happen, people. =)

Good luck and I'll make sure to keep you posted on my progress!

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What I've Learned

So, I took a hiatus...obviously. I didn't realize how many people actually look at and depend on this blog. I got an earful this weekend. =)

I learned a few things while taking a break from bettering myself and I'm going to share them with you in hopes that you won't do what I did.

Lesson #1. Junk food tastes good, healthy food tastes better. 
Yes, you read that right. I found myself severely missing my good ole' healthy foods. I have eaten so much junk in the past few weeks that I wasn't feeling well at all. Honestly, I found myself craving a salad after eating pizza pretty much daily...yup, and we all know how much I love pizza!

Lesson #2. Eating poorly makes you feel awful.
True statement. I wasn't feeling up to anything. I felt lethargic and lazy. My body didn't have the sustenance it needed to get through the day. Yesterday I ate three bagels and bagel bites. Yes, you read that right. My husband and I drove home from Michigan and I slept pretty much the entire way. I was exhausted. Part of that was emotional exhaustion, but the majority of that was sucky eating exhaustion. Absolutely ridiculous.

Lesson #3. Lack of exercise makes you tired. 
I thought I felt tired after exercise...wrong-o. Exercise energizes my body and helps jump-start my day. Honestly, I've been doing lots of Netflix-ing as of late and I don't like it. Run jump dance skip walk...move. Get out there and do it and you'll feel better. You only ever regret not exercising.

Lesson #4. Others count on your successes.
This is a lesson I learned over the weekend. I had people come up to me and ask why I haven't been blogging. Well, folks, it's because I haven't been succeeding. I've been pretty much derailed and it's painful to admit it. Here's the deal, I'm back with a vengeance. I'm out to lose..weight, that is. You have no idea how much impact your personal journey has on others! Keep doing what you're doing and lose the weight. You make a difference in other people's lives even if you don't realize it.

Lesson #5. Don't use emotions as an excuse to eat poorly.
My grandma passed away this weekend. I used that as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. I didn't care at all. I'm well aware that I'm an emotional eater, yet I continue to eat poorly when my emotions get the best of me. Don't let that happen to you! Rather than eating the house down when something comes up,  go for an extra long run or go out and do something! Lesson learned, Allie, lesson learned. =)

Lesson #6. A bite here and a bite there really do add up. 
I've been working in a day care and every day during snack time I took a sample. This is bad...very bad. I'd wind up forgetting what I'd inhaled everyday and, lo and behold, I was gaining weight again. Samples equal points, people...I know better than anyone. So, when you're making that dessert for your church potluck, don't lick the bowl and expect it to disappear into thin air.

Lesson #7. Don't do it again. 
I've learned my lesson. I've been feeling awful the past month. I admit that I've tried several times to get back on track, but my heart just wasn't in it. Guess what? It is now. Holiday season is breathing down my neck and I've gotta get myself prepared for that awful beastie. You should too! Seriously.

I love you guys and I'm so thankful that all you beautiful people read my blog. I hope and pray that it is helpful for you! If, like me, you've been derailed, I wish you the best of luck in getting back on track with me. =)

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Just Do It

No, I'm not stealing the Nike slogan...I'm just borrowing it. =)

So, I went for a run last night...the first run I've taken in a little over a month. I've been kind of building myself up to this point. I kept telling myself that I needed to do it...that I needed to do it for my health.

I was right.

I didn't realize how much I missed it. I mean, I still hate it, but I missed it. It's a really great quiet time for me. I felt so much more alert and energetic afterwards too! I figured the reason I was feeling tired and fatigued was because of the move and new job. No. It was the fact that I wasn't working out!

Guys, if you're on the fence about getting out there and exercising, just do it! Joke I do not (Yoda, am I?)! You will not regret working out. You can regret sitting on the couch and thinking about it, but you won't regret actually doing it! I think I've learned my lesson (my sore muscles prove it)! Please please please give exercising a try! When I started Weight Watchers I told myself I didn't need to exercise to be healthy. I was losing weight just fine without it. While it's true that you can lose weight without exercising, it's false to say you can be healthy without it. I'm not saying you need to go out and run a marathon (heaven's knows I can't)...I'm saying that you need to move. Ya know that time you're sitting on the couch watching 8 billion episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (maybe that's just me...)? That's the time when you can be doing sit-ups or push-ups or walking on the treadmill or punching the air or walking around in circles. There are tons of things you could be doing while you're watching your favorite television shows or movies.

Here is an example: 

Photo Credit

This could be completely fun! I can just picture myself doing this with my little sister. =)

Oh, and if you're worried about what you look like when you're exercising, this should cheer you up.

Thanks, Perez!

This is the lovely Tyra Banks exercising...she's not looking so hot. Don't feel too bad about yourself. =)

I beg of you guys to just do it! If you need help or tips on getting started just give me a holler!

As always, comment, repin, +1, share, tweet, etc. to share these great tips with others!

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