The inner fatty

First of all, let's be honest. No - I'm not saying "inner fatty" to be mean. But come on. If you are reading weight loss blogs, you probably have one. I have one. I will always have one, no matter what my outer appearance is or how fit I am. I will always have an inner fatty, lurking and waiting to pounce. It is my inner fatty that makes temptations so HARD to resist!

So - you're out to eat with some friends, and the menu is screaming at you. "CHECK OUT THESE NACHOS, BABY!! I'VE GOT THE CHEESIEST CHEESE STICKS AROUND! GO AHEAD! TRY MY TRIPLE DECKER MUSHROOM SWISS BURGER WITH ONION RINGS!!"

Or maybe you are at the end of a meal, regardless of whether you made a healthy choice or not, and now the dilemma presents: Should I order one of those Triple Chocolate Fudge brownies that looks ever so delicious on the dessert menu?

Maybe you are with friends (or on your own) and somebody (or yourself) suggests hitting up Five Guys for a burger. How about when your work environment constantly has doughnuts available? Or when there is a pot luck going on every other day for one reason or another?

Nobody is perfect. Even the most successful "losers" have given in...probably multiple or dozens of times during their journey. I know I sure have! I have an especial weakness for wine, which really is just a bunch of needless liquid calories. But I truly enjoy wine. Ummm, and doughnuts. And chocolate. And mushroom swiss burgers. And nachos and onion rings and mozzarella sticks. Mmm, and pizza. Oh, and most crappy food in general. (Can we say, HELLO inner fatty!!)
 
But once you learn how to say "no", it does get easier. You get used to it. You become proud of yourself for being strong. You learn what techniques work best for you. You can absolutely figure out how to tell your inner fatty to STFU!! You CAN win the war with your inner fatty!

But how? Here are a few of my tips. First, avoidance. If I can, I try to avoid a situation where I know crazy temptation will be. This won't always be possible, but for example - at my previous work place, I knew there were doughnuts available in a certain spot every Friday morning. I normally walked by that spot daily because it was the most direct route from place A to place B...but on Fridays, I would purposely take a different way, just to avoid even seeing the doughnut table. This might work with fast food places - if you go by one on your way to work and find yourself stopping too often - take a different way! Even if it means a few minute longer drive, who cares. You will save the time not waiting in line, you will save money not buying the crap, and most importantly you will save your health! When it comes down to it, your inner fatty can't rear his/her ugly head if you don't give her a chance to.

Another good one is distraction. This is easier said than done, but if there is a pot luck going on, contribute a healthy dish and encourage others to do the same. Then make a beeline for those healthy dishes, load up, and try to avoid the less-healthy options. Just distract yourself from the junk, with a plate full of healthy! Or if you find yourself sitting at your desk, craving one of those doughnuts that you know are lurking around the corner - chew some gum. Not only might it distract you, but even if not - a doughnut will taste like shit with a minty mouth :-) If you are at home, feeling munchy - go for a walk. Play with your kids. Read a good book. Just do something that you can get into, and that will help you forget your craving.

I love to look up calories! For example, there are 840 calories in a cheeseburger from Five Guys and another 310 in HALF an order of regular sized fries. Now think about that for a minute - how hard you work every other day. Maybe you exercise your butt off, or count calories...think about how this one meal (which will be over before you know it) is going to derail all of that hard work! I actually did this with Five Guys myself once...I was with a large group of people who mostly wanted Five Guys for lunch. Everyone ordered, I did not. Instead, when we got back to the house, I had some broiled garlic shrimp. It was delicious, and I saved 1000+ calories! TAKE THAT, INNER FATTY!

Planning is important! Maybe you are going out to eat...check out the menu ahead of time. Plan out what you are going to order and figure it into your daily calories. Then when you get there, stick with the plan.

Weigh yourself as little or as often as you need to in order to keep your inner fatty from getting out of control. Some people prefer to weigh in only once a week or once a month. Or even not at all, instead going off of inches or how their clothes are fitting. For me, more frequent weigh ins work best. I like to see the fluctuations and I like how I have gotten to know my body and how various things affect it. It helps me to plan and gauge my progress. I don't freak over the short term patterns...I only record my weight once a week, for example. But if I see that my pasta binge one night caused 2 lbs of water weight gain the next day, I might try extra hard to drink more water to flush out the bloat.

Keep sight of your goals and motivations. Write them down. Blog them. Put pictures on the fridge. Whatever it takes - just always "keep your eye on the prize". Before you down a 1500 calorie junk meal, ask yourself, is this short term happiness going to be worth it? What do I want more, this greasy food, or my health? If you answer the smart way, your inner fatty will die a little inside ;-)

Do you have any tips for beating the inner fatty? I'd love to hear them!

The progression of my Fluffy blog.

I was just thinking, how different my blog is today than it was when I first started it in January 2011. Back then, I was nervous and scared. I weighed 227 lbs and wore a size 22...and although I wanted to change, deep down I wasn't sure it was possible. My initial goal weight was 150, which sounded like a ridiculous and lofty goal. My posts were (understandably) concentrated on the progress I was making (or sometimes, the lack of progress). I never imagined that I would become FIT on top of "average weight". Oh, and I was embarrassed. Yes, I took the step to start a blog and share it with friends, but it took a long time to fess up to my starting weight. I also wasn't interested in sharing beyond my social circle on Facebook.

Now, I am excited and confident. Active and healthy. I've been down to a low of 142 lbs, and had some ups and downs putting me at a current 149 (as of 2 days ago) and now back on track to get to goal (135). I wear a solid size 8, occasionally a 6. I continue to be determined and motivated to see this through to the end and beyond. I am fit - I can run a half marathon! My posts are more varied...going over my progress but also issues I have found important along my journey. I am thinking more and more long term rather than purely the present. I know my goals are never impossible, if I put my mind to it, and so I don't worry as much about what I am right now - instead, I look forward to what I will be. I am not ashamed to tell my beginning weight or size, because it's part of who I am and how far I've come. I love sharing and inspiring and motivating other people. I get a lot of positive feedback and I actively promote my blog and EOTF Facebook page, in hopes of reaching more people like myself. People who are starting out miserable, scared, nervous, and doubtful. 

So while this started out as a tool to help me stay accountable and reach a seemingly impossible goal...it has turned into much more. It has developed into a passion! Plus, how cool is it that my life has changed so completely, and in this blog, I have a detailed record of that whole transition!

To anybody else who wants to start their own journey, or who is in the middle of it - I highly recommend trying a blog. Even if you only share it with a few close friends or family members at first. It truly can be a wonderful tool in your path to success.

And if you already have a blog - please comment below and share it. I love to read the blogs of others in the same boat as myself. I may love to inspire and motivate, but I certainly love to BE inspired and motivated, as well.

Sweat pink!

I applied, and was accepted, to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador through Fit Approach. Sweat Pink is a national movement to motivate, inspire, and encourage one another to live a positive, healthy lifestyle. As you can see, I immediately and proudly put my Sweat Pink Ambassador badge up on the blog. I am SUPER excited about this! Upon posting the news on my personal Facebook page, somebody said I should become a personal trainer. A second person promptly agreed.

BAHAHAHAHAA!

No...I am very passionate about health and fitness, but I don't think personal training would be for me. However, I do potentially have interest in becoming a certified running coach some day. It all depends on where life and my own journey take me, I guess.

Speaking of fitness - on tap for today's routine is 3-5 miles on the treadmill at the gym, followed by some time on the elliptical. And of course... exercising my right to vote :-) I hope everyone out there will also be voting. I will not share my political  views on this blog, but I DO have some very passionate opinions, particularly about a specific issue on the ballot in my state today.

Oh, and again back to sweating pink - I will be sweating pink this weekend, at the Diva Dash 5k! I signed up yesterday. After missing out on the Monster Dash 1/2 marathon because my daughter got sick, I was feeling pretty bummed and dying to do SOMETHING. A race, any race. The Diva Dash will be a perfect quick little race to satisfy my urge. Because it will likely be the last one I do in 2012, I am going to put in 100% effort. It is mostly uphill the whole time, and then a sharp downhill at the end. I haven't been training outdoors much, so I am not expecting any kind of PR (current 5k PR is 27:31), however I do want to get under 30 minutes. But no matter what, I think it will be a good time.

Stay tuned next week for results and race report :-)

Pants

I kept one pair of pants from "before" and I've been meaning to put them on for awhile now. You may have seen this pic on Facebook but here it is anyhow - I love it! I highly recommend getting rid of all your big clothing, except keep ONE item for future comparisons and pics like this :-)

Old pant size: 22! Current pant size: 8 (or a 6, on a good day in the right brand).

I got called WHAT?

Occasionally, somebody unintentionally says something that kills your day, or makes your day. I remember the first time I heard a stranger refer to me as a runner - I was pretty stoked.

I just got done posting about this on the EOTF (Enough of the fluff) Facebook page...but I was at the gym today and somebody called me LITTLE. I have been called many things in my life, but little is certainly not at the top of the list. The best part is, it wasn't even said to me as a compliment or directly at all...it was just innocent talk. She had a group of little girls who were taking up the whole hallway. We were rounding the corner at the same time, going opposite directions. I had to stop quick to avoid a huge collision with these little girls. After they rounded the corner and were out of sight, I heard the woman reminded them to start walking in single file, and she also said "It's a good thing that woman was little, or she would have run you right over!".

So this lady, she has no idea...but she just made my day :-)

The gym

Yesterday I was at the gym gettin' my cardio on. (5 mile run and 30 minutes elliptical). I noticed a couple...the guy was on a bike, the woman standing next to him. Every couple of minutes she left to do things like get food, get him a towel, get him water, etc. She hand fed him as he exercised (please note, he did not appear to have any disabilities. His arms and legs were going like crazy and he was sweating like a pig - obviously a very fit man). Occasionally, she jumped on a treadmill behind him for a minute or so. One time, she got on the treadmill, jogged for 15 seconds, then moved over to the next treadmill and walked for a minute, then got off. Then her hubby moved to a treadmill (way further down the line) and the same thing happened. She stood next to him mostly, eating granola bars and energy bars. Occasionally she jumped on a treadmill next to him and walked for a few seconds. Sometimes she switched treadmills. I try not to be a Judgy Mcjudgerpants, but it was definitely kind of strange. Rather, SHE was kind of strange. To each their own, right? lol

So anyhow. Even despite the occasional ass-hats who refuse to wipe down their sweaty, nasty equipment after use...I really love going to the gym. I used to go years ago, and I liked it then...but I am much more motivated and determined now, plus the gym I go to now is way nicer. It's amazing how different they are! I love the childcare at my gym, I love the huge TV screens on all the front walls (each set to a different channel and with closed captioning turned on). I love that the locker rooms don't look like locker rooms - they are really fancy looking and comfortable, with dark wood lockers (all come with a lock that is activated with your membership card) and granite. I love the big array of group fitness class offerings, which are free to members and require no advance sign up or anything. They have boot camps and personal trainers, both of which I wouldn't mind checking out some day as finances allow. There is an on-site spa and cafe. They have a "parents night out" thing every couple of weeks for members to bring their kids for 4 hours of fun while you go out on a date or do whatever. It's just really, really nice. I am SO glad we decided to join and I really miss going when I don't make it for a few days.

What do you enjoy about going to the gym? What are some amenities in your specific gym that you particularly enjoy?

Choices

The plain, hard truth is that you CHOOSE how you react to the hands you are dealt. I need to remind myself of this frequently. In fact, I need to remind myself of this today, hence this post. This is as much of a reminder for me as it is for anyone else reading.

You are not fat just because obesity runs in your family.
You are not fat just because your spouse eats junk constantly but is lucky enough to never gain an ounce.
You are not fat because there is a McDonald's on the way to work each day.
You are not fat because kids teased you in 4th grade.
You are not fat because your school lunches were sub-par growing up.
You are not fat because you have a bad back/sore foot/migraines/insert any physical ailment here.
You are not fat because you are older and your metabolism isn't what it used to be.

*Sigh* I can definitely identify with this.

YES. All of those things (and plenty more) may contribute. They certainly don't help the battle, that is for sure. They can be HARD issues to overcome, and I am not pretending otherwise. BUT. In the end, it is YOU who chooses what to make of your situation.

You choose what to put in your mouth
You choose how active to be
You choose your own priorities
You choose to see the glass as half full or half empty
You choose to be determined...or not.
You choose to follow through...or not.


It is up to YOU how hard you want to fight.