My Man-Candy Treadmill Playlist

I don't know about you all, but I am ready to get my 2016 off to a healthy start.  That means reintroducing exercise back into my life.  I've been hitting the treadmill almost daily for the last week,  My foot is feeling a bit better, and I'm hoping to work myself back into the C25K program.  Right now I'm mainly just walking, but every bit helps.

I will tell you what motivates me to get on the treadmill.....

my

 Man-Candy Treadmill Playlist

on YouTube.

This makes me WANT to work out!

My Man-Candy Treadmill playlist consists of two things -
awesome songs and the men I love!
I put my iPad/tablet on the treadmill and grab my bluetooth headphones.
I'm ready to roll!

Now this playlist might not be exactly your cup of tea, but that's okay.
You can make your own playlist.
Whatever makes you happy....whatever motivates you.

You can find lots of fan-made videos with your favorite eye-candy.
You will be shocked how fast an hour can go by when your mind is focused on your favorite

So here is my Man-Candy Treadmill Playlist......

I do have a couple of slower songs on here, so I put those at the end for the cool down part of my workout.

So I challenge you to create your own Man-Candy Treadmill Playlist

and pretty please

SHARE

 a link to your playlist in the comments

because

xoxoxo

UAB

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Thanks!!!!

End of Year Reflection

As we approach the end of 2015 in just mere hours,  I just want to take a moment to reflect on where I've been.  Over this past year, I have struggled with a serious issue with one of my children, which has brought me insurmountable stress.  That stress has spilled over into all aspects of my life, including my job, and my ability to really take care of myself the way I should.  In my last post, I talked about identifying myself as a binge-eater.  Binge-eating is an emotional disorder that is triggered by stress - at least for me it is.  I have let binge eating rule my life this last year, and I have gained 30 pounds.  

This picture was taken last week on Christmas Eve.

I knew I had gained those 30 pounds back, but it really didn't impact me until I saw the pictures for Christmas Eve.  Wow!   

What hurts so bad, is that between 2011 and 2013, I lost 40 pounds!

And now I've gained 30 of those pounds back.

So, they say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well I have a few choice words to describe that picture, but moving forward, I promised myself to focus on the positive and not the negative.

Moving forward.....

2016 is going to be an 

YEAR!!!

How is it going to be awesome?

Well, I am focusing on more than just losing weight.  I am focusing on being healthy, both physically and mentally.  I am focusing on ME.  I don't mean being selfish....just less selfless.  My goal this year (and beyond) is to make more decisions based on what is best for ME and not what makes everyone else happy.  Also, in the past when I have tried to lose weight, I really only looked at how many "points" (calories) I was putting in my body, but not really where those calories were coming from.  My therapist really made me stop and think what I am actually putting in my body.  So now, before I eat something, I am asking myself if it is good for me.  Is it something I want to put in my body?   I'm sure some of you are thinking to yourself, "Well, DUH", right? But hey, we are all in different places on this journey called life, and it takes some of longer to figure shit out than others. LOL 

Sometimes it takes a lot more than words, to make someone realize what they need to do.

So here I go!  

How are you going to make 2016 a better year?

I'd love to hear from you in the comments!!!

xo

UAB

No Apologies!

Wow!!! Time flies when you feel like your life is completely out of control and stress has gotten the best of you.  I haven't posted here in 6 months.  I'm done making excuses for not posting.  I have enough in my life to worry about and I'm not going to add blogging to that list.  

Where does this new attitude come from, you ask?  I started seeing a therapist for other reasons and she is awesome. Our biggest focus when we meet is working on myself and to stop overextending myself and trying to do everything for everybody.  We talked about my health goals in our last session and I told her about this blog, and our Skinny Girl Facebook group and she basically told me to stay the hell off of there. Here's the reason.  By worrying about posting on a blog or Facebook page, or feeling guilty for not, I am putting too much of my focus on making sure everyone else is happy.  I know it sounds silly, because I am positive your happiness does not in any way, shape or form depend on whether or not I post.  It's a self-induced guilt I place on myself, that is completely unfounded.  But it is there.  So my new attitude is, I'll post when I feel like I want to and if I don't want to or can't, I won't.  And I will NOT feel bad about it.  I know you guys are probably thinking I'm nuts for even saying any of this, because I know you understand that life happens and it is what it is, and all that.  Like I said, this is guilt that I put on myself and really has nothing to do with any of you girls.

Having said all that, I do want to talk about where I'm at in my quest to be healthier.  And I want to talk about it because it is cathartic for me, and if it helps you or encourages you to make changes, then all the better.

We are on the cusp of a new year. 2015 has not been kind to me.  I can't get into all of that because that would a blog post all on its own.  If you know me, then you know basically what has been going on in my life.  I am determined to make 2016 better!

I am currently reading 2 of Bob Harper's books and one of Jillian Michael's books.  They are very interesting and informative when it comes to the physiological aspects of weight loss and healthy eating.  The other book I grabbed from the library is Overcoming Binge Eating for Dummies.

Click here to find it on Amazon

  And there it it folks. 

The book that caused me to have an epiphany yesterday.   

I am a binge eater.  

I'm not saying I am expert or have the ability to diagnose myself.  However, if the shoe fits.....and it most certainly does fit.  I have never really thought about it before, but obviously there was something in the back of my mind that motivated me to even check that book out when I saw it.  

So what does this mean for me?  Well, it does somewhat alter my approach to my quest to be healthier, because it is helping me address the emotional aspect of my overeating, as well as the physical aspect.  In the past, I've never addressed the importance of my emotions and the part that they play in all this.  I'm not looking for a quick fix.  Just a better understanding so that I can make the changes I need to make.

I will check in when I can, and share strategies that are working for me, and update my progress.

Please feel free to comment, or even write a post.  Many of you are author's on this blog, so please feel free to post and let us know how you're doing!

xoxoxo

UAB

Instead of Snacking, I can.....

Drawing is something I really enjoy!

When school is out during the summer, my brain finally has a little room to breathe and to be creative.  So each summer, I usually spend some time working on art project.

This year I have been exploring the art of creative lettering.

It is so much fun.

When I was trying to decided what type of word art I wanted to create, the Skinny Girl group popped into my mind.  So, without further ado....here are my results.

The lettering is my own drawings, that I scanned.

The borders were added using piZap .

If you are interested in creative lettering, there are plenty of resources online.  

Pinterest is a great resource.  You can also just go to Google Images and type in Creative Lettering.

Have fun!!!

The Difference Between Failure and Success

Last week was a good week.  I only lost 0.7 pounds, but I know I did everything I was supposed to do.  So I can live with 0.7.  A loss is a loss, right?

Then my birthday was this weekend.  Now for the record, I did not go completely nuts.  I did not count points either.  I allowed myself a slice of my birthday cake.  I allowed myself to have a few Miller 64's.  We went out to eat for my birthday, I still ordered grilled chicken and I still only ate half and brought the other half home....but I also ate tater tots.  I did drink Miller 64 though! LOL  So I used many of my weight loss strategies.  I tried to balance things.  I just wasn't perfect.  That's okay though.

It's my birthday, so I can have as many Rob gifs as I want!

Today is the pivotal point for me though.  Will I continue to slack off and get lazy about counting points?  Will I ignore my own good sense, and eat the rest of that cake in the fridge? It's so easy to do.

Or will I get right back into the good habits, that I know will help me succeed in my weight loss goals?

This is the major difference between success and failure for me in losing weight.  In the past, when I have had a great deal of success in losing weight, I have been able to enjoy a day or two of indulgences, but always get right back on track the next day.  I would say for the last year, I have not been able to do that.

So today, I am putting an end to the vicious cycle of failure that I've been in.  I am turning things around.  I indulged this weekend and that's fine. Today is a new day and I will eat the way I'm supposed to and count all of my points.  I will make good choices.  That is my goal for today.  It's my goal every day, but around here we take things one day at a time.  

Instead of Snacking, I Can.....

.....write a blog post.

School is out for the summer, and I'm home all day.  Which is good and bad.
Good, because I have a lot less stress right now.  And less stress for me, means less stress eating.
Bad, because I have more time to eat and think about eating. So I was looking for some distractions.

Initially, I got back into working on my Weight Loss Smash Book.  That will be a post for another day.

As I was searching for ideas for my Smash Book, I came across this.....

Something I can cut out and glue into my journal.

"Write in a journal or on a blog" really caught my attention.  Here, I already have a blog.  Why not use it as a distraction.  And that is what I'm doing right now.  You know how you hit wall about a half hour before lunch, and you just want to grab something?  Well, that's where I'm at right now.  I also grabbed a big glass of water, which is helping too.

There are a few more things on this list that appeal to me.  I'll probably be trying them this afternoon, when I'm hungry waiting for dinner. ! LOL

What do you do when you really want to cave into those unnecessary snack attacks?

Sometimes it's about perspective...

So countdown til *the* birthday...2 days (my birthday is Sunday...).  I'm sitting right around 145....and those last 5 lbs aren't going anywhere by Sunday.

Am I slightly disappointed that I didn't hit my goal of 140 by my 30th birthday? Yes.

But, here's what I've been thinking about this week as I approached the big day and realized that perhaps I might fall slightly short on my goal.

It's all about perspective.  Did I hit my goal completely?  No.  But here are some things that I've managed to accomplish in the year and a half since I started my journey.

I've lost 48 pounds.

I've run in at least 8 races and finished all of them (even my 4 mile hill course and the 10k).  I've even improved my times each time I go out.

I've registered for my first half marathon which will take place next weekend (eek!)...and feel absolutely certain that I will finish in the allotted time.

I've made serious changes to my diet and feel better every day.  I'm less tired, I'm less stuffy and allergy-ridden, I'm more mindful of what I put in my body.

I've also enjoyed this week and did not restrict myself.  We traveled for a short vacation to visit some of my husband's family.  My birthday is Sunday and we are going to one of my favorite restaurants and I will eat ALL of the things.  It's ok to give yourself permission to not care for a few minutes.  It's ok to enjoy a vacation.  It's ok to celebrate your birthday with abandon.  It's definitely ok.  :)

And all that said I'm SO happy about how far this journey has taken me that I can hardly be upset about that last 5 measly pounds.  I'm going to keep pushing and I WILL hit my goal.  It might just take me an extra week or two.  And you know what?  That's ok - because realistically...my goal was to be healthier by my 30th birthday...and I've most definitely made changes, and am healthier and happier than I was when I turned 29...and that's worth all the changes in the world.

Remember...you shouldn't beat yourself up over what you haven't done...but instead celebrate what you HAVE done, and plan for what you WILL do!  You got this!