How to Take the Leap & Learn to be Confident

Let's talk about confidence. It's rare for an overweight person to feel confident in their body, right? Okay, I don't want to speak for everyone, but I will say, I have confidence issues. I may not show it and generally I would say I portray confidence (at least I think I do). However, when it comes to how I feel about my body, I lack confidence big time!

Take the Leap

So here is my challenge: I've decided for the benefit of our readers and of course, myself, I'm going to take the leap and just be confident. It's going to be hard at first. I'm going to have to change my way of thinking. I've already started trying to view things differently but it will still take time before I have confident thoughts instead of judging thoughts. Who does this? Who constantly judges themselves, or thinks others are or will judge them? It's a hard habit to stop, right?

To take the challenge, visit The Petite Athlete

A couple of days ago, I started a 30 day ab challenge. Abs are my weakest body part and it has always been a goal of mine to live a life without a kangaroo pouch. In an effort to take the leap and be confident in my own skin, I've decided to post some before pictures. I'm crossing my fingers that these pictures won't be in vain and there will be a visible difference in the after pictures.

Let me tell you, posting these pictures isn't easy. In the course of editing the post, I've added and removed them a number of times. Yet, in the end, if I have a plan to be a success story one day, I'll need to be confident that I'll get there. Posting these pictures will help me stay accountable and hopefully in the long run serve as inspiration to others looking to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

If you are planning on taking the 30 day ab challenge, don't worry about hitting those 300 reps right away. The first day I did the exercises, I only eeked out a total of 143 reps. The second day got a little easier with a total of 185 reps. By the end of the 30 days, I should be blasting out those 300 reps and sporting a leaner look.

Someone once told me, "Do the uncomfortable until it's comfortable." I'd have to say it has worked in other areas of my life and could certainly be applied to confidence. Remember, you've already made the first step, take it day by day and celebrate yourself! The confidence will soon come back without hesitation, but you have to take the leap. Trust yourself, love yourself and show yourself you can do it!

- Nikki





20 Miles!

Good morning Folks! Today I would like to talk to you about my 20 mile run on Saturday morning and more importantly about "Runner's High." A couple of months ago Evelyne (work wife) asked me about runner's high. She asked me if I get it and what it feels like. This was my response:

"Runner's High is a load of BULL. Sure I get it, but it doesn't last very long and when I do get it I think, hey I'm doing pretty well, I could keep up this pace, and then it all comes crashing down. I get a pain in some part of my leg, I start feeling tired, and reality sets in that I have to run 10 more miles or something crazy like that. My point being, Runner's High is not as cool as everyone makes it out to be."

I am here to tell you folks that I was completely WRONG. I felt the amazingness that is Runner's High this past Saturday. It started off like any other run, I was nervous because it was the longest run I have done to date and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to run 20 miles. I left my house at 6 am and I started off slowly, I had a few aches and pains but they are normal for me until my body warms up. The route that I run has a lot of hills and usually when I run I have to take some breaks and walk the hills because I am tired and my leg muscles are aching. This time I felt great and I was able to run through all of the uphills. When I finally reached the 10 mile mark and had to turn back and run home I thought I was going to feel tired and dread the run back but boy was I wrong! 10 miles in and I felt absolutely wonderful! I knew that I was experiencing Runner's High and I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure that this great feeling was going to go away very soon and I would start feeling my normal aches and pains and tiredness but I was wrong. I kept running and running and I felt great. It was like nothing else mattered in the world, just me and the road. I felt such a great sense of accomplishment and pride because I knew that I was a runner and I felt like I had found my passion.

This high lasted for 6 miles until I stepped wrong and hurt my knee. Then the pain came and I knew that I had to take it slow and listen to my body. So I jogged and walked and tried to figure out what I did to hurt my knee. The last 2 miles got better and the last mile I felt the high again. I ran the 20 miles in 3:36:15. Yay Crystal!!!

All day Saturday I was beaming with joy and pride. I ran 20 miles! Me, formerly extremely obese Crystal, who could not run 1/2 a mile to save her life, is now a full on runner!!! I'm pretty sure I am still on a high right now just from thinking about the run.

I am here to say that Runner's High does exist! And any of you who are thinking of becoming runners or would like to experience the high should do it! Today is the day! It is the greatest feeling in the world! And it has really changed my perspective on running. I started running to lose weight, then I did it to challenge myself and prove that I could become a runner, and now I am doing it because I enjoy it. I am craving another run like the last one! I can't wait to feel the awesomeness again!

If Runner's High does really exist, does this mean that Santa Claus does too? ;-)

-Crystal

To Scale or Not to Scale, That is the Question

Today we are actually sitting down and writing a post together. A lot of our conversations lately have revolved around the scale and in order to fully satisfy our obsession, we've decided to give our input on the scale debate.

Crystal's View

I was obsessed with the scale. I probably talked to the scale, yelled at the scale and cried to the scale more than I did my close friends. I used to weigh myself once and often twice a day. The scale defined me and guided me and I felt I needed it. I needed to see that defining number to either tell me to be proud of myself for the hard work I did or to scold myself for my lack of will power. If I for some odd reason did not weigh myself I spent the entire day obsessing over the number that could have been. Wondering and guessing my weight, debating whether or not I should restrict my calories or indulge a little or step up my work outs or keep my same routine. 

Luckily for me, my obsession with the scale has decreased greatly in recent weeks. This last week I did not weigh for an entire week and guess what? It felt amazing! It was so liberating to be able to trust my own judgement and to know that I have all the tools that I need to continue to lose weight without needing to see a number. I weighed yesterday after my run and I was at 195.4. I couldn't be happier with the number I saw because I know I am still losing/maintaining. When I look in the mirror I see a happy, healthy, and hot Crystal and that's all that matters!

Nikki's View

Let's get this straight, the scale has never been my friend. I've gone for months without stepping on to weighing myself daily. What I've realized with both extremes is that while I do need to step on the scale to know my progress, I can still get a good feel of it by measuring myself or seeing how my clothes fit. 

The truth is, I know when I've been bad and when I've been good. The happy medium is probably different for every one but I've learned that mine is just two or three times a week. Alex and I do our competition weigh in on Fridays so on Mondays I'll weigh in to see how the weekend affected my progress. Sometimes, I'll weigh on Wednesday too, just to know if I really need to kick it up a notch.

Conclusion

Bottom line, weighing yourself is a great tool for staying on track, but don't obsess over it. Find YOUR happy medium.

To further test our theories, Crystal is going to go the next few weeks (until October 11 - when our challenge ends) without stepping on the scale. Nikki will continue to weigh in two to three times a week (no less, no more). At the end of the challenge, we will compare results and see just how valuable the scale is to weight loss.

- Crystal & Nikki

What My Toddler Taught Me About Eating

In "Personal Accountability" I mentioned that I view my daughter's nutrition as a blank canvas. I understand that the kind of food I allow her to eat will greatly affect her eating habits throughout her life. It took me up to this point to realize that this kind of care and consideration should also be put into my own eating habits. I'm not exactly sure when it all clicked but I know in just this last year Presley has taught me a lot about eating.

Presley enjoying some of Grandpa's watermelon

Pres enjoying carrots.

Lesson #1

Presley is constantly snacking. Her snacks of choice are carrots, strawberries, bananas, string cheese, cheerios, grapes, pretzels, and oranges. She usually tells us when she is hungry and I don't typically have a problem with giving her a snack if she asks. In observing her snacking habit, I've realized I should be doing the same. Often times when I get home from work I'm ready to eat and sometimes ravenous. This certainly isn't a good thing because when I get to this point I get moody (sometimes angry) and often make bad choices. 

I've started taking snack foods to work so I can fuel up on a snack before I leave. That way when I get home I'm ready to workout and even satisfied enough to wait out the process of cooking dinner. Making sure the snacks are healthy is another important step in this lesson. If I snacked on chips, sure it would have the same effect but it wouldn't fuel me for workouts the way nuts or string cheese does.

Lesson #2

If anyone eats around her, Presley will want a bite. She is willing to try anything. Sure, it may just be a trial lick but she's open to new foods. I've always been open to trying new things but usually it involves junk food.  More recently I've decided to use this new lesson on fruits and vegetables. I've never like tomatoes. Sure, I like ketchup and spaghetti sauce, but other than that, you couldn't get me to try tomatoes if you paid me.

On a trip to a local farm stand, there were four different types of tomatoes just staring at me. I had no idea what I was going to use them for but I just went for it. Alex was looking in horror. (He doesn't like tomatoes either.) He whispered, "You know those are tomatoes?" I may be somewhat clueless at times, but I do know what a tomato looks like.
By the time we got home, I decided there was no way we would eat all three pounds of the tomatoes and if I was going to get our money's worth, I would need to somehow preserve them. A fan of canning, I looked up a tomato jam recipe, made a few modifications and got to cooking. Let me tell you, that shit is good! I made three 12 ounce jars of the stuff and so far we have gone through one jar. It's really tasty mixed into pasta, spread on toast, and with cheese. Guess who likes the tomato jam? Yup, you guessed it. Presley. I've realized that if I don't try it, Presley won't try it. Since Alex and I are the ones putting the plate in front of her, we have the power to put whatever we want on it and if we aren't willing to try something new, the likelihood of Presley trying it is slim to none.

Tomato Jam ingredients (Can you see why I couldn't pass up these beautiful tomatoes?) 

If you are wondering what recipe I followed, it is on Martha Stewart's website. I made a couple of modifications. I didn't use cinnamon and reduced the amount of brown sugar and honey. I'm really glad I did that since I'm not much of a sweet tooth person and even with those modifications, it was somewhat sweet.

Presley's second helping of corn.

Lesson #3

Presley typically finishes her meals but occasionally she doesn't eat everything. It's very important to me to make sure that she isn't forced to finish her food. Conversely to that, it's just as important to allow her to have more if she wants it, to a point. If she wants more veggies or fruit, I'll give her more. I trust her hunger. Recently on vacation, we introduced corn on the cob to her and she loved it. She asked for another after another. I knew she had a full day and was probably starving so I allowed her to have three half cobs. 

The following day we went out to dinner and she had some of what Alex and I were eating. She didn't finish everything and let me tell you, if it was me I would have cleaned the plate. The food was so good. That's my point, though. Presley listens to her hunger regardless of the type of food she is eating. It's a really hard thing to do at my age, especially when I'm used to finishing everything, but I've tried to slow down when I eat and have found that allows me to listen to my hunger.

Changing my eating habits isn't easy, especially after 30 years of being this way. I know that children can be picky but I still believe that we should treat our own nutrition with the same attention we give our children.

- Nikki

Reward Yourself

If you are like me, you need a pat on the back when you've worked your butt off. Alex, my husband, recently came up with a points system that really has me geared up and gives me the reward I need. We are just in the second week of using it and so far so good. I've actually already redeemed points for a reward three times!

Alex & I before a workout (P.S. I'm working on my modeling pose.)

The great thing about this system is that it really encourages you to get out and move (definitely something I need encouragement to do). I guess you could say it is an ode to Weight Watchers, but the rewards are what have me really charged.

So here's the breakdown:

For every pound lost, you earn 20 points.

Also, for every pound you gain, you lose 20 points.

If you run or walk a quarter mile, you earn 2 points.

If you do aerobic exercise (including yoga and strength training), you earn 2 points for every 10 minutes.

If you don't workout for two consecutive days, you lose 20 points.

If you don't workout for three consecutive days, you lose half of your point balance.

If you don't workout for four consecutive days, all of your points go to the other person.

"I workout!" - LMFAO

You're probably wondering what the points can be used for, right?
For 50 points, the other person will give you a 10 minute foot rub. (Definitely my reward of choice)
For 100 points, the other person will give you a 15 minute head, neck and shoulder rub.
For 200 points, the other person will give you a 20 minute full body massage.
For 1000 points, you get a professional massage.

Whoever reaches their goal weight first, will get $200 to spend as they please.
FYI, Alex's goal weight is 200, with a starting weight of 289. My goal weight is 140, with a starting weight of 201.

At first I was a little apprehensive because the points only encourage you to get moving and doesn't really do anything for eating right. However, the great thing is that you can still lose points if you aren't losing weight which would also be affected by your eating habits. For now it's working and I've done some sort of physical activity almost every day so I think I'll stick to it.

- Nikki

Baking and Running

Today's post is a random post. I don't know about you folks, but I'm over counting the days. Realistically, I broke the challenge [insert boo's here], BUT I am still dieting and exercising and I am training away for my marathon. Besides, this whole writing about my days that are usually boring and repetitive was restricting my writing creativity. Ok, ok, it could also be because I am super random and it takes more effort to sit and plan out the posts and have them correlate with the days than if I allow myself to write whatever I please and force you to read it!

Anywho... If you haven't figured it out by now, I will admit to the blog world that I am not domestic. Tis true that my mother is an amazing cook and my father is NOT. And it is also true that I take after him, not only do I look like him (thank you dad for the FAT genes!) but I have also inherited his inability to cook! However, just because I can't cook doesn't mean I can't bake! I love baking and decorating, cupcakes are my favorite! I have been looking on pinterest for diet friendly dessert recipes and I found one for Healthy Banana Applesauce Cookies and they came out quiet deliciously if I do say so myself!

Healthy Banana Applesauce Cookies

These are actually my cookies, they kind of look like scones but they are delic!

 Ingredients

3	ripe bananas
2	cups rolled oats
1	cup raisins
1/3	cup applesauce
1	teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
   
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, raisins, applesauce, and vanilla.
   
3. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
   
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.
   

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 20.8g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  40 Calories from Fat  3

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  0.3g 0%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  1mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates  8.7g 3%

Dietary Fiber  0.8g 3%

Sugars  3.8g

Protein  0.9g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 0% • Iron 1%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation.

Legend

 Fat
 Protein
 Carbs
 Alcohol
 Other

Calorie Breakdown (?)

Daily Values (?)

Now that I have made you all hungry by showing you pictures of delicious cookies, I would like to talk about the 18  mile run I had this past Saturday. It was honestly one of the hardest runs I have ever had to do in my life! I struggled with the run from the beginning which I knew was not a good sign. I had to coach myself into continuing. I even talked to myself out loud like a crazy person. My knees hurt, my thighs hurt, my feet hurt, my calves hurt and I did not want to continue running. But somehow through the whining, almost crying, I was able to talk myself into continuing! I was very proud of myself for pushing through the physical and mental barriers. I am 3/4 of the way there now! I know that I can finish this marathon! Even if I do have to talk myself into it the whole time!

I will leave you with this beautiful picture of myself in an apron. One of the few times you will see me with one on! I look much cuter sitting and watching others do the cooking! :-)

-Crystal

 

Personal Accountability

If there is one thing I know for sure it is this: weight loss isn't easy. There are two things I struggle with the most when it comes to weight loss: an undeniable love of food and personal accountability. I wouldn't necessarily say this is the reason why I'm fat, but I would say they are to blame for why I'm STILL fat. There is something that takes over whenever I tell myself I'm on the right path. Some could call it self-sabotage, and they would definitely be right, but I see it as a lack of personal accountability. I like to think that my life is all in order, and truthfully, I'm very blessed. Here's the thing though, everything except my health is in order. Sure, I walk around like I'm confident in my skin but it's a lie. (I say fake it, until you make!) Speaking of lies, I tend to tell myself quite a lot. Okay, maybe not lies but I tend to break promises to myself a lot. I promise myself that I'll stick to this or that and about half way there or when I start to see some progress, I somehow fall off the wagon.

Treat yo'self!

While everyone (myself included) is a work in progress, I tend to take my missteps a little hard. I don't particularly like when I've failed or haven't met my own standards. As I've been on this weight loss journey, I've done a lot of reflecting and this is what I've decided: I am going to treat myself like I would any of my loved ones. As a mom, I often put Presley first and while I will continue to take care of her to the best of my ability, I'm going to take care of myself in the same way. 

Side Note

Presley, my two year old, is an excellent eater (read "What my toddler taught me about eating"). The minute I started to feed her whole foods, I knew she was like a blank canvas and the kind of food I put into her would greatly affect her eating habits. This is the care I should be taking with myself as well.

A couple of things I'm going to do for myself

1. Take time to be active at least once a day. 

Whether that means dancing in the morning, walking at lunch time, or squeezing in an afternoon workout, I am going to take that time alone to be active.

One day this silhouette will be more svelte.

2. Find ways to eat nourishing foods.
I LOVE food. (Yes, the caps are required.) Unfortunately, the majority of what I eat on a regular basis isn't that good for me. As a magazine addict, I subscribe to numerous health and food magazines. Over time, I've ripped out articles, exercises and recipes to save for later. Well, later is here! I've pulled out some healthy recipes and am going to experiment with my taste buds. I feel very positive about it and because of my love of food, I think this step is going to be easy.

Olives stuffed with garlic (My coworker brought these to work and I think I practically ate them all with little help from her.)

3. Celebrate accomplishments
If I'm going to be true to treating myself like I would my loved ones, I have to start giving myself a little praise. I will need to be my own best cheerleader (Crystal must have known this all along). A couple of weeks ago, Crystal and I measured ourselves. I wasn't really expecting to lose anything but I lost 4.25 inches! Not bad for just two and half weeks.

Measurements

8/8/12                                                                                8/23/12

Chest: 43                                                                           Chest: 43

Waist: 38                                                                           Waist: 37

Lower Abs: 46.5                                                                Lower Abs: 44.25

Hips: 47                                                                             Hips: 46.25

Right Arm: 14.5                                                                 Right Arm: 14.25

Right Leg: 26                                                                     Right Leg: 26

                                                                                         Lost 4.25 inches!

4. Take one day at a time.

I know it's been said many times but remembering to take one day at a time isn't easy. I gained weight one bite at a time, so I'm look at each choice I make as one bite or one step closer to a healthier Nikki.

Ironically, I opened this in a fortune cookie. Couldn't have been better timing.

- Nikki

Confession Tuesday, Also Known As Days 22-25

Howdy Y'all! I'm feeling very country today, prolly because I'm about to confess all about how I fell off the diet challenge bandwagon [insert shocked/disappointed face here] and I am doing my best to confront the shame that comes with it.

So if you are one of the 4 followers (you really should follow me to help my bruised ego)... you may remember how upset I was at the scale for not being able to lose any weight and for actually having gained 2 pounds in one workout/diet weekend. I was bitter when I wrote that post and I basically said I should just gain weight the delicious way by eating and drinking. Well when I wrote that I didn't actually mean it and I didn't think I would break down and do it, but I did. And to tell you the truth, I don't regret it. I had a great weekend, I had a great 16 mile run, and I didn't spend my time craving forbidden food and counting calories.

Before we talk about how much weight I gained, let's discuss what a great time I had!

Friday was sushi for lunch, shopping and drinks! I bought some cool running socks, a new arm band (my old one was stinky), and arm sleeves with reflectors (so I won't get hit by a car like my brother did last week). I started the evening at BJ's Brewery and ended it at a Dive Bar. I had a great time and I remember most of what happened. Mission accomplished!

No I did not drink all of those beers!

I decided to post-pone my long run until Sunday morning because a.) we had a soccer game on Saturday morning and b.) I was nursing my hangover. After the game (we won) I went to the lake with my family. We swam, lounged, and ate. Beautiful weather, it was a perfect day for the lake.

Sunday morning was my long run. 16 miles ladies and gentlemen! It was actually a really great run all things considering. I overslept and it was hotter than usual, my foot was really hurting me on the last mile (the foot injured from my new shoe incident) but all in all, I had a lot of energy and I was running at a 10 minute mile for most of the run. I was confident and happy about the run, and then after my shower it all hit me. My muscles were so tense and sore, I couldn't even walk straight! I looked like a grandma! It took 5 hours and 4 ibprofen to rid me of my aches and pains. Long distance running really takes a toll on you. I was both physically and mentally exhausted afterward and it took lots of coconut water and trashy tv to nurse me back to health.

This is what 16 miles looks like before the aches and pains set in.

The moment of truth: How much did Crystal gain? Answer: I have no freakin' clue!!! I weighed myself on Sunday and I had gained 2 pounds and was at 198, which was not bad considering that I ate badly and drank badly. On Sunday and Monday I chose to just have one bad meal each day. I will weigh myself sometime this week when I am finally able to face my fears and jump on the dreaded scale! I swear sometimes I get so mad at that thing I just want to throw it at a wall! But then I remember that I am a rational person and I really do like my walls.

I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!!!

-Crystal