Don't Trust The Numbers

Be Your Own Inspiration

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday. If you fell off the wagon, so to speak, you can get back on. No harm, no foul. We all did! Yes, I love my Pumpkin pie and I made at least three Pineapple Upside Down Cakes! Yes, I was spreading the weight gain train! Here was my experience this weekend with my own body and my own body image.

Do you follow the numbers on your scale? I hate scales and never use one. This is the reason why. This weekend was the busiest shopping weekend in the nation, right? So, I decided that I should stop looking like some shlump and get some clothes that actually fit my body. I was a size 22 and I still see myself in that body. But, I finally had to see myself as I NOW am. Everything was so big on me! My legs are so toned and they were swimming in these oversized jeans. I had all these xtra large shirts and I just looked really sloppy, like I didn't care about myself.
I went out to the outlets here in california and my favorite jeans store, Levis, was having an awsome sale. I haven't worn Levis since I was a size 8 in my 20s'. I went in and the sales lady actually had to explain the different types of jeans to me, curvy, straight curvy, slight curve, etc. It was almost embarrasing. I explained to her that I had lost 130 pounds and was not sure what size I was now wearing. She helped me find my size and I went from a size 22 to a size. . .ready. . .drum roll. . .10! This is why I don't trust my scale and why I don't own one. I trust my body.
Trust your body, trust your clothes, trust what you see in the mirror!

Sorry for the small print. I copied and pasted a post I made on my BeachBody site.

Remember, as always, you can follow my journey or you can join me!

Susan

Always Happy To Be Me

Get Addicted To This! My favorite artist is Salvador Dali. I love his surreal art. One of my favorite pieces is The Metamorphsis of Narcissus. It's such a beautiful piece. One of my favorite quotes comes from the man himself;

"Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure,
    That of being Salvador Dali".

I love this! He is happy to be him. I am happy to be me. With everything in life, I am happy to be me. I can be no one else. People will criticize what you do and how you do it no matter what. I have been criticized for joining BeachBody and trying to help people loose the weight without going to surgery. There are so many people out there that want to loose weight the natural way that I feel like I am filling a need. The diet for weight loss surgery is basically mush. And, you have to eat it for weeks! If you can do something by not having surgery then, as far as I am concerned, it should be tried. The natural way is always harder. But, you have to look at weight loss in this way. You didn't wind up this way overnight and it's not going to be an overnight fix. You have to be dedicated to yourself. If you don't do it for yourself then it won't work. You have to be happy with yourself before you can be happy with someone else or before you can make someone else happy. I mean truly happy. The people I have spoken to are surface happy. They are not deep down happy. They all say the samething "something is missing". I'm not a psychiatrist or even in the mental health profession, but I do know this. . .happiness is something we give ourselves.

I am happy with myself. Yes, I have been a fuck up. I have made mistakes and I have even hurt a few people along my path, never intentionally. But, in the long run I've done the best I can and I have made myself happy with my decisions. I am the type of person who is honest. . .no matter what. I will tell you the truth and my true close friends appreciate that quality in me. I'm not going to tell you the dress looks awful on you. I would never hurt your feelings, but I will tell you it's not to my liking, if it makes you happy thats great. These are my rules for me:

1) Tell the truth. Theres less to hide.
2) Do not be a hypocrite, do not invite hypocrites into my space.
3) Do not invite someone you do not like to a party, your being a hypocrite for the sake of a possible gift.
4) I either like you, dislike you or am indifferent to you.
5) I do not stop anyone from living their lives. If you think I stopped you, you are mistaken.
6) If you ask my opinion you will get it. . .truthfully.
7) If I called you a shithead I meant it.
8) If you have the answer to stop someones suffering and you don't give it up, your a shithead.
9) I do not ever hurt someone for the sake of hurting them. If you think I did, you are mistaken.
10) I do what I do for a reason and I never back something I do not believe in! EVER!

That being said I am a BeachBody coach becausse I believe in it. Yes, I have questions and some problems with some of the things that they do. But, all in all they are a great comapny and they help alot of people, one of them was myself. The link is at the top. . .check it out!

Here is my weekly receipe for you. If any of you actually try these receipes I would LOVE some feedback!

Coconut Banana Bread
1 cup coconut oil
2 cups sugar
1 can (5 1/2 ounces) crushed pineapple with juice
4 eggs
1 ripe banana, mashed
4 cups flour
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons baking power
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350. Stir coconut oil and sugar together. Mix in pineapple with juice, eggs, and the banana.
Add the flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the batter into two greased and floured 9" x 5" loaf pans. Bake about 60 minutes or until knife stuck into the center comes out clean. Cut loaf in to 1/2 inch slices. Each slice will contain about 1 tablespoon coconut oil.

You can follow me on my journey or you can join me  Making Myself Happy

Make Yourself Accountable

Time To Get Real

How do you make yourself accountable for the things you do for YOURSELF? Most of us go around doing what needs to be done for everyone else, children, husband, co-workers, boss, etc. But, we don't do for ourselves. I make myself accountable for me by doing my workout everyday. When I skip a day I do a double workout, I love those workouts. When we make ourselves accountable to ourselves we tend to make time for ourselves. We, as the caregivers, need to take good care of ourselves. My family knows that when I am working out that my time. Leave me alone. I'm not asking for much maybe an hour, hour and a half. If I don't get that workout I don't feel as good about indulging in my favorite vice. . .ICE CREAM! It's sweet, it's decadent and it will put the pounds on you if you let it. But, since I hold myself accountable for my personal well being and I do that workout I totally enjoy my ice cream.

You nutrition is important too. Do you hold yourself accountable for the amount of, for lack of a better word, junk? How many days a week are you eating out? How many times a week did you have a McDonalds lunch because you were in a hurry and didn't have time for something better? It's important that we eat what gives our bodies the ultimate in nutrition. I take my lunch everynight and I eat at the same time everynight, give or take a half hour. If I don't eat my body starts to tell me about it. It literally feels like my stomach is imploding on itself. I try to eat something every two hours. Now, that dosen't mean I'm having a meal. I'm eating a meal ans the ntwo hours later I'm having a snack. Everything is packed in my lunch box. Not, only am I being accountable to myself for myself, but I'm giving my body something to do. I'm keeping my metabolism moving so their is no storing of anything. Nutrition is a great thing especially when it's one regularly and accountably. If you are accountable for yourself then your family gets all the benefits. When you go to the store to shop and your being accountable for what going through your mouth and into your body your you are also bringing better nutrition to your family. Lets face it, they eat what they see us eating. We develop their nutritional accountability. As they get older they will always do what their moms do. My daughter is a prime example. she eats whats in the house. But, when she goes out with her friends she makes better choices. Not to say  that she dosen't eat pizza, but she also likes Curry and Thai food and makes those suggestions to her friends. It's all about whats in your kitchen, what you bring into your home. It's all about accountability. Lets face it it starts with us. Be accountable for yourself first. Take the time you need.

Heres a little something for you to look into. The Play Store for your android has some great apps. Heres one I found, it was recommended, it looked like the best of the bunch. It's called My Fitness App. Check it out and see if it is something that can help you. You can also download a food calorie counter. The ones at the bookstore are also downloadable to your phone so you can check the calories on that fast food.

Remember, you can follow my journey or you can join me   NUTRITION

Resetting In Progress

This was one tough week! Usually I'm the one everyone can't keep up with. But, this weekend was so different. I was so worn out, it was crazy! So, I decided to reset myself and do a cleanse. The body can get so gunked up with everything in life. We get stressed out and our bodies go into a different mode. We get constipated, headaches, loss of appitite and a whole host of other bad things. A cleanse can help set things right.

I choose a weekend where there is nothing going on. We have a great cleanse called the Ultimate Reset. It's a great way to reset your body. You can liken it to getting your car oil changed. Your Liver is your bodies filter and it needs cleaning just as your car needs a new one. Your bowels take nutrients to the rest of the body, just as your fuel system delivers gas to the engine so you can go. Everything gets gunked up. I add a cleanser to my engine before an oil change. It gets all the old gunk and when they empty the oil out of the car there is all this gunky, oily kind of slimy ball stuff that falls out. It's really nasty. Now, imagine this stuff in your Liver and in your Bowels. . .EEEEEWWW!

I do my cleanse and I drink my reset, water and have fruit, mix my green drinks and have a small amount of food. I'm one of those people that goes straight to bitch if I don't eat! So, I adjust my cleanse to nourish my body. There is no system out there that can be followed exactly. You will find that when you do a cleanse your body will tell you what it needs. You should respond appropriately. NEVER starve yourself for the sake of cleansing. You can always extend your cleanse. You should always be safe. . .no matter what.

There are many different cleanses out there. The Ultimate Cleanse may not be for you. You are free to choose the best one for you. Just make sure you get all the information on any cleanse you do. You may even choose to try a couple of different ones before you choose a favorite. I do suggest you check with your doctor before doing a cleanse. They probably have some good tips for you and may even be able to suggest one for you. Please, REMEMBER, if you are on any medications you should never forego taking your medicine to cleanse. Your doctor may be able to help you pick a cleanse that will not interfer with your medications. Yes, there are some out there that may have contraindications for your medications. The cleanse may have something that will not react well with your medications. You can also request that your doctor set you up with a nutritionist who can help you pick a cleanse.

As usual, I have a nice receipe for you. It's one of my favorites and it's easy to make. Check below.

SALMON PATTIES
Either fresh salmon (my favorite) or canned salmon (you'll have to shred it and watch out for bones in the canned salmon)
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1-2 eggs
flour
salt & pepper

Place the salmon in a mixing bowl, watching out for bones while shredding it. Put the celery (to taste) and a piece of the onion (to taste) in a food chopper and pulse the "grind" button until you have small to tiney pieces. Add to the salmon in the mixing bowl. Add flour and an egg (this is for binding). Mix all together.
Add the salt and the pepper, to taste, but not much. When it's all mixed properly make little patties and put them in the pan and cook them.
I add bread that I warmed and toasted in the oven and a vegetable. We like Spinach!

As usual, you can follow my journey or you can join me! Reset Yourself

It's An Ego Boost!

Fit At Any Age

What a week! I have been recovering from a run down mentality, run down nutrition and just life in general. I'm back at it and figuering it out. Even a fit coach can overdue it. I'm a real person. I overdue it. . .and I pay for it. But, what really got me this week were the compliments. When you work hard for what you want, you get results. So, here are a couple of my ego boosters this week.

I was cleaning my house and looked like I should be put in the washing machine! I was hungry and wanted Rangoons from Panda Express. So, I get there and there is this cute guy ordering. He looks at me and smiles, I smile back. I order and he's paying. As he walks out he smiles at me, raises his eyebrow and says "your cute" then walks out of the restaurant. I was like EEEEEEEEEE! To get a guy, a stranger to say something like that to you when you look the way I looked is nothing short of AWSOME!!!

I was at the grocery store and was getting milk. I had to reach up to get my type. And, this guy was standing next to me. If you do Chalene Extreme then you know that she does alot of squats and that means a nice looking ass! As I grabbed my milk this guy says to me "you have the best looking butt I've seen in a long time and I go to the gym"! Ok, I'm good for the day.

I was getting the mail and was on the front deck of my house. One of my neighbors comes by and just stops and looks at me. I said "hi" and he comes up to my fence and says "YOU are a one beautiful beast"! I just said "what"? He asked me if I had a boyfriend and thentells me that he lives down the street if I ever decide to leave my boyfriend and want some company. It must have been the new definition in my arms because they are looking pretty good.

So, what am I trying to say? Well, these are the results you get when you stick to something that is good for you. Nutrition, working out, just being good to yourself. You are worth what you want to put into yourself. Everyone needs something for themselves. My workouts are for me and no one else. You have to do it for you or it won't last.

Well, you can foolw my journey or you can join me. . .the link is at the top.

Susan

It's A LifeStyle, Not A Diet!

It's A LifeStyle

Too all of you who have been following me I'm sorry there was no post last week. I was not feeling very well.

Ok, I'm a little tired of people asking me how my diet is going. This is not a "diet" people, it's a lifestyle. It's a choice. The truth is I do not diet. I eat what I want when I want and I enjoy it. I do not sit and eat a whole pie or a gallon of ice cream. I eat a piece and a scoop or two. And, yes, I go back for seconds if I like. I do not like depriving myself of anything, thats a diet. I eat a handful of Toffee Nuts, not the whole bag. I, however, am not perfect. When my boyfriend and I seperated I indulged in ALOT of ice cream! It was not pretty. But, I am human. These things happen. I just got right back on track when I was done indulging the hurt and pain of that. Remember this, taking something out of your normal nutritional pattern only makes you want it more. I'd rather eat half a Hershey bar, than devoure the whole thing. . .save some for later.

The other thing is this, I'm tired of people asking me how to get the perfect body. There is NO perfect body! There is the body that is perfect for you! It's what you perceive as the perfect body for yourself. I could just go to maintenance today if I didn't still have this belly that I hate! My perfect image of myself does not include this belly. It needs more work. I have an inferiority complex that involves my arms. I have always hated them. At this point, they look nice. They are nicely cut, not to muscular and for the first time I actually CHOSE to wear a tank top and was happy with the way my arms looked. It's important to remember that no ones body is perfect. You work to make your body perfect for you. It's your image of yourself. When I started Insanity I hated aerobics. . .EWWWWW! But, areobics works for me. It helped me get in shape, it gave me the jumpstart I needed. Now, I can't seem to do without it. Chalene Extreme was too slow for me, still is. But, It has made me tighter and smaller. I needed the heavier weights, but it worked. I am now going into month two and definately need smaller jeans.

You must remember, it's about you. It's about what you see as perfect. I was a size 22. That is not even close to what I consider perfect for myself. I am now a size 10 and will go to size 8 jeans this week. By the end of my journey I will probably be a size 6. This strikes fear into my daughter, she's a size 5 and does not want me in her jeans! It'll never happen, but it's nice to know she thinks about it. If I get where I need to be and stay at a size 8 that will be fine. But, that is what I would consider my perfect size. It was my pre-baby size, my college size and the size I was in my 20s. It was a good size for me and I can safely and nutritionally maintain that weight and size. STOP letting other people decide where you should be sizewise, nutritionally, mentally and lifewise. Do whats right for you. This one thing in life is all about you. . .take control of it.

Remember, you can follow my journey or you can join me, the link is at the top.

Susan