Week 11 - The Process and the Progress Continue

Well guys, it's been a really good March for me. I've managed to convince myself (or at least work on convincing myself) not to focus on weekly weigh ins and not to be discouraged when I don't see immediate progress. I feel better about that.

As I mentioned, I kind of upped my calories last week - well I tried. This week, I did the opposite. I did not do double workouts at all this week. I in fact forced myself to stay home from the gym and only do my at-home workouts. I'm trying to see if I was overdoing it by doing a double workout EVERY day. Because I subtracted an entire cardio workout, I also subtracted some calories. I don't do weigh in until Saturday morning, but here's this week's story:

Most of my jeans are from Lucky Brand. I used to work there and grew an addiction to their jeans. Different styles fit differently, and so I have jeans that range in size from 6 to 10 all fitting the same body. Well, I bought one pair imparticular in December that were a size 6 ... and I do wear some 6's, but these would not come past my thighs. It just wasn't happening. (I shake my fist at you, thighs!) This morning, I woke up and just thought "I can get into those jeans today." I don't know how I knew, I just knew. I had just tried these jeans on maybe a week ago - and they were pretty close to fitting, but not quite - if I actually wanted to you know, breathe and walk and stuff. So - I tried them on and viola! They fit. So without a weigh in and without measuring, I've got my progress for the week.

I was in Express the other day trying on "business" clothes for job interviews. When the salesgirl offered to get me another color of the skirt I was trying, she said "what size?" I said "size 6." With a period, and not a question mark. Usually I don't know if I can fit the size I want to be in. It still feels weird for me - this is the smallest I've ever been. And I don't use Lucky Brand sizing as bible, because I know their sizing is just strange. Aside from their jeans, everything is made to fit loose. I mean, I wear an XS in their sweatpants and those are baggy - so I can't use that store as an indication. But I was wearing a size small shirt and a size 6 skirt, and they fit. They didn't "almost" fit or "kinda" fit. They fit. And I bought the outfit.

This is one of my dangerous phases. It's where I reach a point that I'm happy and would usually stop trying as hard. Until I get to a point that I'm unhappy again and pick it back up. I'm not going to do that now. I know ultimately where I'm trying to get, and I don't want to get de-railed by my small accomplishments. I've come a long way, but there's still work to do.

Size 6? In December


Size 6 in March

Week 10 - How do you measure progress?

If you measure your life in love, how do you measure your weight loss progress?
(sorry for those of you who don't get the musical reference)

I was planning on increasing my calorie intake from 1500 to 1800 this week. And for most days I did. It's a really tough concept for most people to understand that you have to eat to lose. Especially if you're doing an intense lifting program, you need to take in sufficient calories to feed your muscles otherwise your weight loss will stall. I just wanted to see if upping my calories would help my weight loss at all. It's a tough call, because the first time I did the X - I was eating higher calories and didn't see the weight loss I wanted, so I didn't want to replicate that situation. At the same time - I don't want to starve my body. So after about 4 days of making an actual effort to hit 1800 calories, I just ended up feeling uncomfortable and bloated on some of the days. Some of them, I felt fine. I've already conquered letting the scale rule my life and now I'm going to conquer counting calories.

Is it important? Yes - somewhat. Is it worth going nuts over? Absolutely not. I finally decided that my calorie intake will be between 1500 and 1800 based on how hungry I am. If I'm genuinely hungry, I'm eating. If I'm not, I won't force feed myself. As long as I'm taking in no less than 1500 and no more than 1800 on any given day - I'm good. I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.

I don't know what my weight loss results are this week cuz I don't weigh in til Saturday morning, so we'll see how the half week of incresased calories affected me. I will say that Hollister has been very good to me - I ordered another size XS sweatshirt online and aside from the arms maybe being a little tighter than they should be - it does fit. So if I lost no pounds and no inches this week, will I say that I haven't progressed? Absolutely friggin' not. I'm finally learning to look at fitness in a new way, as a process. There are certain things that apply to everyone trying to lose weight, but that doesn't mean we will all lose it the same way. Even if I didn't drop actualy pounds this week, guess what I did do?

3 unassisted pull ups. The first pull ups I've ever done in my life. I remember being in gym class in elementary school and doing the dreaded "bent arm hang" for girls or pull-ups for the boys. I could never hold my own body up and I was an embarassed little chubby girl. This week, I did 3 legit pull ups pulling my own body weight above the bar. Not only that - but I also ran consistently for 50 minutes. Another first for me. I ran on an incline, increasing the spead every 5 minutes for 50 minutes straight with no breaks and no slowing down. Not only that - but in my cardio kickboxing class that usually cardio kickboxes my ass, I only took one unmandated water break as opposed to my usual 5. And I didn't feel completely winded, I felt pretty good!

So do you measure in inches? In pant-size? In scale numbers? In the mirror? Regardless of what my scale says this weekend - I know I've made progress. I can't wait to see how many more pull-ups I can do and how much faster I can run.

"I Don't Wanna Get Too Bulky"

I just gotta get this off my chest - because it makes me crazy. I hear SO many women say they don't want to lift weights or do P90X because they don't want to get too bulky. Honestly, how many fit and in shape women do you know PERSONALLY that you would describe as bulky? Ok, how many have you seen - outside of fitness magazines and competitions?

I personally know 2 women who compete professionally, and they are the closest thing I've seen to "bulky". Ladies, you're not going to pick up a weight and all of the sudden turn into a professional male wrestler. It doesn't work that way. Our bodies were not made to get large like that. There is so much work and effort and supplements that you would have to purposely invest to manipulate your muscles to a point that could be described as "bulky". It's not gonna happen by accident. It's certainly not gonna happen by you picking up a 15lb. dumbbell.

Excuse #2 - I don't really need to build muscle, I just want to lose weight

Guess what? Muscle burns fat. Yup, you heard me. So when you're sitting at your desk at work, doing nothing - your muscles are burning fat. The more muscle you have, the more efficiently that fat is burned. That's why lots of women who are slim also have very toned muscles. Those muscles helped them get slim. And how do you get toned muscles? You need to lift weights. Or - use your own body weight as resistance.

Take it from someone who knows.

www.beachbodycoach.com/sweetcharity

Personal Best!

I did not feel like working out tonight. I felt tired and stressed and bloated and I really just wanted to curl up in bed and watch TV. So I hemmed and hawed and procrastinated, but I finally got my butt out the door and to the gym.

I've been working on improving my cardio-vascular endurance. It's one of my weaker points and I'm especially trying to prep to start Insanity. There's a couple ways to work on your endurance - the method I'm going with is just trying to jog/run for long periods of time without breaks. I remember the first time I managed a 15 minute jog without stopping. At the time, it was the longest I'd gone actally jogging and not stopping and it was AWESOME. More recently, I've been able to get up to 25 and 30 minutes of continuous jogging with no breaks. Improvement is happening.

So tonight, I figured I'd just do a half hour on the treadmill and then a half on the elliptical. The elliptical is way easier and I don't count it towards endurance because it's too easy to vary speed. I do ten minutes of walking on an incline as a warm-up, then bring the incline down to 2.0 and jog at around 5.0 speed, increasing by 0.1 every 5 minutes. The last 5 minutes I go up by 0.2 every minute so I end with a "kick". Knowing I was doing less than my usual 45 minutes - I started the jog at 5.3. By the time I hit 29 minutes and 5.6 speed, I felt really good. I decided to keep going and upped the time to 45 minutes. Well, at 44 minutes and 5.9 speed, I thought "How awesome would it be if I could make it to 60?" So that's what I did. At 45 minutes, I upped the speed to 6.0, at 50 minutes to 6.1, at 55 minutes to 6.2 and knowing that I've done a kick of at least 7.0 before - at 55 minutes I started upping the speed in increments of 0.1 every 30 seconds. In the 59th minute, I upped it every 20 seconds.



I didn't stop or slow down once in the entire hour! I started running at a 5.3 and ended the run at 7.2! This is a new personal best for me. The fastest and longest I've EVER run. And that includes doing the mile run in high school. I'm kind of in shock and disbelief. Like, I don't know if I could do that again. I don't know how I did it in the first place! I'm hoping I can be consistent, and of course get better. So maybe I'll make it past day one of Insanity.

Food Prep

So here's what a typical Sunday evening of food prep looks like for me. (prep for the week):
Hard boil 10 eggs
Make 5 egg white omelettes
Make 5 cups brown rice
Cut up 1 tomato into slices
Cut up 2 green peppers
Make 6 bags of granola
Make 5 bags of grapes
Cook 2 cups stir fry veggies
Bag crispbread/flatbread/rice cakes - whichever is necessary for the next day

Pack non-perishables in lunch box
Put all refrigeratibles in same spot in fridge

I also sleep in my sports bra to be ready for a 5:30 wake up for the first work out of the day. It's already past my bedtime. Stupid daylight savings.

"If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

I'm Sorry, But That's A Size What?

I refuse to buy anything in a size large. It's a matter of principal. I was a large for so long, that now I just don't want anything that says "large". But I fully expect to be a medium in most things - unless it's a line of clothing that runs big. There are very few things that I purposely wear loose, it's just not my style. However - in some of the teeny bopper stores that I still shop in (hey, someone thought I was 22 this weekend - so why not) I understand that the clothes are made for a younger demographic and tend to run a little smaller.

So, needless to say I went shopping this weekend. A very dangerous field for me since I have little self control. I wanted to find some sweatshirts to wear to and from the gym. I have some now - but they're like sweatshirts I actually like to wear for fashion and I don't want them forever smelling like sweat, as will happen with any gym clothes. I managed to resist buying any new jeans at Lucky Brand, which believe me - is not easy. I was able to remind myself that I don't want/need any more jeans at my current size. I really have plenty that fit me now, I want some that will fit new me. Size 4 me. Well, Lucky Brand size 4 anyway - which is basically a real size 6.

But I digress.

To get to the point, I bought a couple sweatshirts and a shirt-dress. Shirts = size XS. Shirt-dress - size small. My gut reaction when I fit clothing that small is to think - it must run big. I can't be an actual small or x-small in clothes designed for teenagers. No one with hips, thighs and a butt this large could truly be a small. But, here it is....





It makes me wonder how other people see me. I suppose I could have a case of body dysmorphia. I look in the mirror and only see what needs fixing, as opposed to what looks good. I'm still a little disbelieving. A couple size smalls does not a small girl make. But it could make a small girl in the making.

xoxo,
Sweet Charity

No Muffins For Me, Thx

So I noticed something today, or should I say I've been noticing something lately. Though I am still disappointed with my reflection and the scale - I must admit I have passed a milestone. One of my major issues is that my thighs are industry-standard one size larger in proportion to my waist. This means, in order to find pants that fit me - they have to fit my thighs and not so much my waist, making them one size too large for my waist. The only realy way to fix this is belts. Wearing the belt tight enough to keep the pants up creates the dreaded muffin top. Unlike some women, who are completely oblivious to this ridiculous orb of fat that sits on top of their jeans - I am ever concious of my muffin top. I can feel it sitting on top of my pants especially when I'm wearing a belt. I can usually strategically have my pants sitting in just such a way, that the muffin top situation is avoided. However, when I sit down for long periods of time (which is all the time at my stupid sit down do nothing job) the strategic placement of my pants shifts. So every time I stand up, I have to re-adjust to hide the muffin top.

My office is covered in mirrors at every corner - so there's no forgetting to cover the muffin top. This week - I have not had to adjust my pants at all. Today, I'm wearing one of the most epic examples of pants that fit my thighs and not my waist. (Side note - American Eagle pants fit me HORRIBLY! I should stop buying them. Lucky Brand Jeans come the closest to a real fit - particularly the Lolas. Anywhoo......) I kind of had to double check a couple times so far this morning. I just can't believe that I don't have to re-adjust to hide my muffin top! Don't get me wrong, it's still there. I absolutely still have a spare tire of flab that NEEDS to go, but since it's smaller it's not noticeable under my sweater. That's the advantage to cooler weather.

So, while I'm still not where I want to be - I will fully acknowledge this as a milestone in my journey. Or a pit-stop, on the way to banishing the muffin top for good.

xoxo,
Sweet Charity

Week 9 - Look at Yourself Through Someone Else's Eyes

I am the epitome of "Do as I say, not as I do". I am great at dishing out advice that I know I should follow too, but I'm not always good at it. Granted - I do usually have reason. I can mostly give good advice because I've been there, done that. While it does also apply to me, I've also been following said advice for much longer and have been waiting much longer for a result that usually comes quicker to most people.

I am very frustrated with my weight loss progress in general. I'm not talking about since I started this weekly blog, I mean since I started losing weight at age 18. I see other people's pictures and see what they look like after 90 days on P90X, and quite frankly it pisses me off. Here's this person who has neglected their body and in 90 days they get abs? In 90 days?! I've been working out for over ten years AND have done 150 days of that same program and got no where close to the results they got. W.T.F.?!! I honestly don't get it. My argument is not that change isn't happening, my argument is that it is happening far too slowly when you look at what I'm doing to reach my goal and the changes I've made. I'm basically doing all I can: really clean eating, calorie consideration, double workouts, working out 6 days a week, supplements...I don't know what else I can do. Except wait. That seems to be the only thing left to do is just wait for something to start working. Why does it take me literally 3x as long to reach the same result as someone who has not put in nearly as much effort? I really don't know, but I am working on figuring it out.

One day this week, I was feeling particularly bummed. I looked at the 90 day transformation of a woman who started bigger than me and ended with defined, awesome abs. In 90 days. It was so upsetting to see it happen for someone else, and not me. I had put in the work, I didn't skip workouts, I followed the diet - why didn't my results look like that? Had I made any progress at all? Losing 1/2 a pant size in 150 days isn't good enough for me. I'm sorry, but that's just too much damn effort for 1/2 pant size. I went over to my friend's house to work on dance choreography. He has a wall of mirrors in his basement that we use to dance in front of. I've been to his house many, many times over the years. He told me I looked smaller, but I didn't so much believe him. I mean - he has no reason to lie, but still -he's my friend. Since he's smaller than me, I had commented once that if I could ever fit his skinny jeans - I'd know I was on my way. He told me I should try them on again and the last thing I wanted to do was squeeze myself into this skinny boy's jeans and feel like even more of a fat ass, but I relented. And wouldn't you know....

They fit. I was pleasantly surprised. We went downstairs to dance and I even looked skinnier in his mirror than I had last time I was there. It was probably just that little boost - a small thing like him saying he could tell I was smaller and me fitting into those jeans, and all of the sudden I looked skinnier to myself.

I try to tell people all the time that we ourselves are so used to seeing our own bodies, that it's tough to tell when change has happened. We see ourselves daily so the day-to-day change is undetectable thus making it hard to tell when bigger change has happened. I still don't love my progress pics. I still don't love that it's taken me two rounds of P90X and will take ???? rounds of Insanity for me to see the results I want. I really don't love that other people can do it with less time and less effort. But that is life. At least change is happening. At least I don't have thyroid issues, or a debilitating disease, or a disability. Yes, it sucks that this process is taking so freaking long - but it could certainly be worse.

"Magic Pills"

Some people have asked me about taking weight loss supplements and here's my take. Firstly, I want to make the distinction between weight loss supplements and diet pills. As someone who's tried both, this is my opinion.

Diet pills are crap. Diet pills are those things that say you take two of them a day and don't diet or exercise ever and you'll lose weight. They say they make you feel fuller or expand in you stomach or some crazy crap like that. These kinds of things work for 2% of the population and those are the people that will basically starve themselves with or without the pills - so it's not the pills making them lose weight, it's them deciding not to eat. I would never take a diet pill that "made me feel fuller" because I know the key to long lasting weight loss isn't simply eating less. It's eating the right amount of the right things.

Weight loss supplements are those classified as ones that help you lose weight by boosting metabolism - so you burn more and increasing energy - so you can do more. Two popular supplements are Hydroxycut and Xenadrine. I have taken both of these in different generations of their conception. I'm pretty sure the kind I used to take have since been re-called, but hey - I'm still here. Do I think these pills help you lose weight? For me personally - no. I do not. What these pills have done for me is boosted my energy level enabling me to have killer workouts. I have never been someone who was drastically affected by sugar. Aside from too much of it hurting my teeth, it doesn't make me hyper or keep me awake. But nothing else in my body works the same as it does for everyone else, so I'm not surprised. I'm not really sure of caffeine's affect on me because I don't drink coffee or dark sodas. However, taking hydroxycut before a workout definitely gives me a huge boost of energy. Their new formula has done away with all the harmful, sketchy stuff that got it pulled from shelves.

Now - I'm not saying these supplements are for everyone. Some people can feel very jittery and on edge with these pills. I used to feel that way when I would first start taking them, but now I avoid that by starting with one pill at a time and working my way up. They can also make you feel nauseous or give you the runs. The latter is not a problem for me and I only feel sick if I take them without working out - which is why I ONLY take them before a workout. I pretty much have to work out once I've taken them because I have all this energy which will build up in my stomach if I don't get it out on a treadmill.

So am I saying you should take these? No, I said it's not for everyone. Am I saying that I've lost 20 pounds in 10 weeks using Hydroxycut? Absolutely not. It doesn't work that way for most people. What I am saying is that I use it as one of the many tools in my fitness journey. I drink protein to help maintain my muscles, I take a multi-vitamin to aid in overall health, and I use hydroxycut to help me have energy to do a really awesome workout. I don't like to use them for too long a period of time. A)I don't want to become dependent and B)I think they stop working after a certain period of time. Then I'll stop taking them, forget they exist and re-discover them a couple years later when I need them.

xoxo,
Sweet Charity

"Into Each Life

some rain must fall. Some days must be dark and dreary."
The Rainy Day, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


This was the quote I had printed with my Senior Portrait in my yearbook 11 years ago. It still holds true and still means to me now what it meant then. Obviously, not much in my life has changed. I remember someone commenting on how depressing the quote was and remember being surprised by them feeling that way. Depressing? That wasn't how I meant it at all. It's a fact of life. If calling it to your attention is depressing, you must live a very happy, blessed and trouble-free life. Some days must be dark and dreary. Not every single day of your life will be perfect. Sometimes, bad things happen that make you sad. Fact. If anything, I found it to be a hopeful statement. If you take the quote in the context of the poem it was written in, it's making a universal statement. The line that precedes this famous quote is "Thy fate is the common fate of all." Basically saying that - you know what, you're having a bad day. Everybody has bad days sometimes and it's o.k.

I'm having one of those days today. Everything seems to have been going to crap for me since I woke up - late, this morning. I keep trying to stay positive and move on, but with every positive thought comes another negative thing happening in my day. I'm just not strong enough to shoulder all of the outside forces affecting my reality. It's too much.

What I really want to do is eat a big bowl of ice cream and chocolate and peanut butter and lay in bed and cry and watch movies. And add popcorn while you're at it. In reality, would one day of binging on sweets completely kill my diet? Well, speaking long term - no. Would eating and watching movies do anything to help my mood? MMM, it might - but then again it might not. Would it fix any of the problems that are causing my terrible day? No. But will sticking to my diet and working out fix any of those problems either? No. It's kind of a draw there.

I'm having a horrible day. And I really want to make myself feel better with dairy and chocolate and salt. But I have the presence of mind to know that those things ultimately won't make me feel better. Or will only do so temporarily. And that though unconnected to my current state of mind and my current issues, sticking to my diet and working out today will be better for me in the long run. I'll be happy at the end of the week that I stayed the course, even if I may not feel like it today.

I certainly hope tomorrow is a better day for me.

I Challenge Myself

So, I am starting Phase 3 of P90X. This phase is 5 weeks long. So far - on this round of the X, I have lost 6 pounds. But really, most of that has come from the change in my eating habits. So for this last phase, I am really trying to "bring it" in the kitchen as well as in the workouts. I'm still kind of trial and erroring with how many calories I should have a day, but we'll see what happens.

Here, for your viewing pleasure and for my accountability is what my meal plan will consist of for the next five weeks. This is my own personal food challenge, but I invite ANYONE to join me if they'd like :) The calorie intake can be anywhere from 1500 to 1700, depending on the number of workouts that day and on how I feel. When my body tells me I'm truly hungry, I listen to it.

My P90X Phase 3 Diet
All food must be from the top two tiers of Michi's ladder
No dairy
No salt
I get one cheat day per week to eat what I want (I wouldn't make it without this)

Pre-Morning Resistance Workout: Banana with almond butter

Post-Morning Workout: Whey protein, blueberries & flaxseed oil
(OR Shakeology if I order it anytime soon)

Breakfast: Scrambled egg whites with spinach, corn, onion and pepper ~ either on tomato, mustard and veggie chicken pattty
OR
on tomato, avocado and whole grain flatbread

Snack: rye crisps with hummus
OR
veggies and hummus
OR
brown rice cakes and peanut butter

Lunch: stir fry veggies, brown rice, black beans, protein (chicken, tuna, salmon)
OR
protein (chicken, tuna, salmon) broccoli or green beans, sweet potato

Snack: brown rice cakes with peanut butter
OR
carrots with peanut butter or hummus

Dinner: salad greens, green pepper, hard boiled egg whites, olives and protein(chicken, tuna, salmon) with fat-free, sugar-free, everything free dressing

Post-Evening Workout: Casein protein with almond milk and strawberries

Quick-Grab Options: whole wheat bagel, oatmeal, veggie burger, peanuts, apple


Well, there it is folks. My food layout for the next 5 weeks. As my coach says, if you fail to plan - you plan to fail. Let me know if you have any questions/suggestions.

www.teambeachbody.com/sweetcharity

xoxo,
Sweet Charity

Week 8 - I want a perfect body and I want it now!

This is the sentiment a lot of my friends have been experiencing, myself included. You put in all of this hard work - you look in the mirror - and it seems like there's nothing to show for it. Patience has never been my strong point, but I am getting better. I think the key thing to remember is - it's kind of like how people who see you every day, are not going to notice if you lose 3 pounds, 5 pounds... they see you every day. They don't realize you're a little bit smaller than you were 2 weeks ago. Well - you see you every day too. All day. And naked. You aren't necessarily gonna realize your changes by looking in the mirror everyday. You have to give it some time. Compare a photo of yourself now to one from a couple months ago. What I HAVE definitely noticed in the mirror is the shrinking of my muffin top - and that's a big deal. That is one of my toughest areas and I can absolutely tell it's getting smaller. I don't have quite as huge a bulge overtop of my pants as I used to. And it's not quite such a strategic maneuver to get my shirt to sit in just such a way - so there isn't a huge bulge. Much less belt and shirt maneuvering lately - so that's huge. I'm still in an epic battle with my thighs and I can tell they'll be the last to go. It's already bad enough that they are one entire pant size larger (proportionally) than my waist, they also just don't wanna seem to slim down. As soon as I can lose an inch there - it starts creepin back up. I haven't quite figured out how to lose the inches there and keep 'em off, but I'm certainly working on it.

So I'm coming into the home stretch of P90X. I'm done phases 1 and 2 and phase 3 starts on Saturday. It's 5 weeks long. I'm feeling pretty good about where I am at the moment - I have some steady weight loss and I'm hoping that continues. I'm going to be on a really strict eating regimen for the last phase, which I'll post on my actual blog (which also updates here) in hopes that will really kick my body into high fat-burning mode. Stay tuned - the best is yet to come :)

You Need A Mantra

Recently, I've been waking up at 5am to fit my second workout into the day. I am NOT a morning person. Not in the slightest. In fact, DO NOT attempt to conversate with me before I've had breakfast or before 9am, whichever happens first. You would think that after 29 years, my mother of all people would have realized this about me. And yet, she repeatedly attempts to start conversations with me at 8 am and then wonders why I'm so pissy. I remind her of this constantly, and yet...no change. I hope it's not Alzheimer's.

Anywho, I do not enjoy waking up early - but I do it. I'm not the hugest fan of not being able to eat what I want, whenever I want and instead counting calories and tracking carbs - but I do it. I don't neccessarily want to work out every day, twice a day - but I do it. Is it because I'm crazy? Perhaps. But more because I know what I want and I know what it will take to get there and I'm willing to work for it. It's worth it to me.

What's it worth to you?

I have several phrases, sayings, "mantras" if you will, that come to mind during my fitness struggles. Some of them may seem corny to you as other people's seem to me. That's ok. Get your own. What phrase is really gonna hit home for you and cause you to work harder? "What's it worth to you?" Is one of my favorites. Is it worth me waking up at 5am and working out twice a day if it will eventually get me in a size 4? - YES. Is it worth forgoing that piece of chocolate that I will literally remove my left arm for if I can drop an extra pound? - YES. This is what it's worth for ME. It does not have to apply to you, but when it comes to the amount of dedication you're willing to put in, ask yourself - What is achieving my goal worth to me?

You don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

It's a misconception that I love working out. Sometimes, I do. Sometimes, I really enjoy being on the treadmill or kickboxing. Sometimes - I hate it. Sometimes, I want to rip Tony Horton's head of his muscley body and frequently, I'd like to punch Debbie Sieber's in her rock hard gut. You can bitch and moan and whine as much as you want to. You just have to do the work. You don't have to be happy about it all of the time, but you have to do it regardless. Think about it as when you were young and your parents made you clean your room. Whether you agreed with them or not - it had to happen. Then once it's done, you get your allowance and everyone is happy. Only instead of an allowance, you get an awesome body - WIN!

"You gots to work and deserve it, earn it to own it."

That one's from G. Love and Special Sauce. That's for when I sing to myself. It's pretty self-explanitory.

"Change is a process."

This one is from my BeachBody coach and I love it. You are not going to go from a size 10 to a size 2 in a month. Not healthily and not permanently anyway. It takes time. You're also not gonna go from a sedentary lifestyle to the workout and diet queen/king in a week. Just do a litle at a time and always do your best.

If you put in the work, change will come

So many people kid themselves as to the effort they're making. They'll say things like "But I worked out and stuck to my diet this week and saw NO results! I mean, I missed ONE workout and I cheated on my diet here and there, but STILL $%#$^" I hate to break it to you - but to a certain degree - that skipped workout and those litte cheats count! They don't count to a degree that little slip-ups will kill your results. But if you're on a steady regimen that your body is used to, every litte thing counts. You probably still made progress - just not as much as you would have if you hadn't cheated. And one little slip up is not gonna stop your progress. If you are constantly working, refining and putting in the effort - it's not possible that you'll see no results. But you have to be honest with yourself and you have to put in the work.

I hope this helps. I hope that finding a mantra will do as much for you as it does for me. Often, I'm the own voice inside my head guilt-tripping myself to do better, to do more, to try harder, to work harder and to push farther. After all,

No one else is gonna do it for you.

xoxo,
Sweet Charity