Dining at Home: Challenge failures + Physique update!
Good morning, Blenders :)
Straight to it --- I SUCKED at this challenge last week. Ended up dining out a much more often than planned due to... NOT PLANNING. I will say, transitioning into work life went a lot more smoothly than the first two weeks; I wasn't completely obliterated by the end of the week, which is a win! The first couple of weeks back to work were brutal. Nevertheless, I will move forward. Today is a new day, and the pantry is fully stocked :)
I am incredibly proud of this physique update for a few reasons:
1. It was spontaneous. I literally happened to glance at the scale while looking for something in one of the other bathrooms in the apartment (I do not have a scale in mine), and thought "Hmm... wonder what it'll say?" I had no expectation because even though my body has changed A LOT since June, my pounds loss has been minimal, 3-4 pounds at most.I was not hoping for loss, nor have I been obsessing over my body or progress. I literally was just curious... Healthy mental balance for the win!
2. Surprise! 2 pounds down. Now, when I saw the loss, I was thrilled! Because I had already noticed in the last couple weeks that my body overall is much leaner. So, it was nice to see that reflected in weight loss, BUT after a few seconds, I thought "Man, I'm so proud of how well I'm managing my nutrition and workouts" --- I was more focused on what I had done to achieve the loss than the loss itself. And, it's true. My sugar intake is still very low, and cravings are nonexistent. I am no longer overeating, nor using food as a coping mechanism. The change I've made lifestyle is now "normal" and, thus, I hardly think about "progress" anymore because this is way of life for me and I am dedicated to doing what needs to be done to achieve my goals, and put my energy and focus on the DOING rather than the wishing. I don't examine my body everyday like I used to. Rather, I notice things about my body regularly just through seeing myself. This leads me to another transformative change in my journey. I never used to look at my body... Like, LOOK at my body. I knew what it looked like, but overall I didn't like how it looked. Even if I liked how I looked in clothes and felt good, outside of clothes I was not connected to my body in any way. I hated my arms (and still do, but definitely more kind LOL); I hated the keratosis pilaris on my thighs (still there!); I hated the slight curve from scoliosis; and, of course, I hated the extra fat. This is a slow journey for me. It's taken me 3 months to get to where I am, but the nutritional and physical care I've given my body, and seeing it transform over time has been transformative for how I see myself. I also realized I have definitely struggled with body dysmorphia and HAD NO IDEA. Wow! Even when I was thin, I had a distorted view of my body based on what I wished I looked like. Since I was already thin, this isn't a case of "beauty standards" for me. I also wanted to be super curvy, and curvy has JUST recently (last 5-7 years?) become a trend. Acknowledging that has also aided me in practicing to change my perception of certain parts of myself, physically.
3. I took my measurements, celebrated, the promptly moved on with my day. LOL. I didn't even think about it again until this morning, to share with you. When I do think of the progress it is motivating and makes me feel happy. But, I have CONQUERED the obstacles that had me trapped, and THAT is what I'm most excited about. I can actually see my dream fit physique in view and I actually believe I'm going to make it there. Simply by eating well and staying active, which is what my body needs ANYWAY!
I know this is a looooong post, but I hope it makes up for my absence AND gives you some encouragement and inspiration, too. I won't lie, I'm disappointed that my arms and waist have not MOVED! But, they hold the most weight, usually, so I just keep trucking along. What is strange is my arms are more shapely and you can see muscles, but the inches are the same. Weird! And, while my waist is lean, the lower abdomen will NOT let go of some of that stubborn fat! *Sigh* " I "just keep going" though :)
Dining at Home: Challenge failures + Physique update!
Good morning, Blenders :)
Straight to it --- I SUCKED at this challenge last week. Ended up dining out a much more often than planned due to... NOT PLANNING. I will say, transitioning into work life went a lot more smoothly than the first two weeks; I wasn't completely obliterated by the end of the week, which is a win! The first couple of weeks back to work were brutal. Nevertheless, I will move forward. Today is a new day, and the pantry is fully stocked :)
I am incredibly proud of this physique update for a few reasons:
1. It was spontaneous. I literally happened to glance at the scale while looking for something in one of the other bathrooms in the apartment (I do not have a scale in mine), and thought "Hmm... wonder what it'll say?" I had no expectation because even though my body has changed A LOT since June, my pounds loss has been minimal, 3-4 pounds at most.I was not hoping for loss, nor have I been obsessing over my body or progress. I literally was just curious... Healthy mental balance for the win!
2. Surprise! 2 pounds down. Now, when I saw the loss, I was thrilled! Because I had already noticed in the last couple weeks that my body overall is much leaner. So, it was nice to see that reflected in weight loss, BUT after a few seconds, I thought "Man, I'm so proud of how well I'm managing my nutrition and workouts" --- I was more focused on what I had done to achieve the loss than the loss itself. And, it's true. My sugar intake is still very low, and cravings are nonexistent. I am no longer overeating, nor using food as a coping mechanism. The change I've made lifestyle is now "normal" and, thus, I hardly think about "progress" anymore because this is way of life for me and I am dedicated to doing what needs to be done to achieve my goals, and put my energy and focus on the DOING rather than the wishing. I don't examine my body everyday like I used to. Rather, I notice things about my body regularly just through seeing myself. This leads me to another transformative change in my journey. I never used to look at my body... Like, LOOK at my body. I knew what it looked like, but overall I didn't like how it looked. Even if I liked how I looked in clothes and felt good, outside of clothes I was not connected to my body in any way. I hated my arms (and still do, but definitely more kind LOL); I hated the keratosis pilaris on my thighs (still there!); I hated the slight curve from scoliosis; and, of course, I hated the extra fat. This is a slow journey for me. It's taken me 3 months to get to where I am, but the nutritional and physical care I've given my body, and seeing it transform over time has been transformative for how I see myself. I also realized I have definitely struggled with body dysmorphia and HAD NO IDEA. Wow! Even when I was thin, I had a distorted view of my body based on what I wished I looked like. Since I was already thin, this isn't a case of "beauty standards" for me. I also wanted to be super curvy, and curvy has JUST recently (last 5-7 years?) become a trend. Acknowledging that has also aided me in practicing to change my perception of certain parts of myself, physically.
3. I took my measurements, celebrated, the promptly moved on with my day. LOL. I didn't even think about it again until this morning, to share with you. When I do think of the progress it is motivating and makes me feel happy. But, I have CONQUERED the obstacles that had me trapped, and THAT is what I'm most excited about. I can actually see my dream fit physique in view and I actually believe I'm going to make it there. Simply by eating well and staying active, which is what my body needs ANYWAY!
I know this is a looooong post, but I hope it makes up for my absence AND gives you some encouragement and inspiration, too. I won't lie, I'm disappointed that my arms and waist have not MOVED! But, they hold the most weight, usually, so I just keep trucking along. What is strange is my arms are more shapely and you can see muscles, but the inches are the same. Weird! And, while my waist is lean, the lower abdomen will NOT let go of some of that stubborn fat! *Sigh* " I "just keep going" though :)
Enjoy the weekend, Blenders! xoxo