Headspace; Keeping it Straight

     On May 18, 2013 I completed my first intense 12 week diet and exercise program (that I actually stuck to the whole time!) and as a belated birthday celebration, my husband and I went to Carmel for three days. I thoroughly enjoyed myself the whole time, and that included eating whatever came in range, drinking a few cocktails and wine, (though I avoided beer) and giving my body the break from workouts it's been begging for since the end of April.

      Some disturbing things happened as my diet went bezerk. Rich food, sugar, and alcohol sapped my desire to do even the fun active things I'd planned on, like running on the beach, or going paddleboarding. Instead, I lounged around, cruised from one meal to the next, and snacked on actual candy as I got a magnificent sunburn by the pool. After a candy-binge, loaded with artificial colors, (TMI WARNING, BLUE TEXT AHEAD MAY BE TMI FOR SOME) my poop (EW!) turned blue and then GREEN for two days. Not natural. Not right. Disturbing. And a clear sign that humans are NOT made to consume that artificially colored grossness. Tastes great, but LOOK what happens to your body! That's foul, dude. Foul. I'm a bloated mess after my off-plan time, and it scares me. Incidentally, I won't be weighing myself until NEXT Saturday, to keep my head in a healthy space and not see such an increase that my brain goes, "F&*K it, might as well NOM."

     Tuesday I swam with dolphins, which was my birthday gift to myself. AMAZING experience, and I was pleased that squiggling into a wetsuit wasn't difficult at all. I was reassured that my photos IN said wetsuit looked shapely and not as cetacean-like as I'd felt all day. . . see awesome below!

    Fast forward to Wednesday, when I ate my on-plan breakfast, took my vitamins, and hit leg day HARD at the gym. Still, I decided to skip my customary cardio in favor of a long stretch session. Having "forgotten" my pre and post workout meals, I then ate whatever was handy as I grocery shopped. By now, I should remember NOT TO GROCERY SHOP WHEN HUNGRY. I then came home and ate a bag of Trader Joe's Spicy Mango. Then an old college friend stopped by and we went out to dinner, where I again made questionable choices that were higher in fat than they should have been.

     This is what I'm going to define as A Slippery Slope. Once I put a foot over the edge, even for a predetermined limited time of indulgence, it is SO easy to continue to slide back into bad habits, continuing to eat sugar, and now it feels like I'm starting all over again to rid my body of the cravings and inability to make the RIGHT choices. Why is it now so hard to get back on track? Where did my intense dedication and ability to stick 100% to my mealplan go? What happened to my BRAIN in those several days of break?

     I don't have the scientific evidence to be sure, but I think the moment my body realized it was being offered more food, it went into some kind of post-hibernation binge mode. My challenge, now, is to bring myself back on track, and follow what I'd originally planned, which was to maintain the diet I'd been set by my coach, and only have ONE or maybe TWO cheat meals a week, if social obligations made two easier than just the one. 

I did not plan to have a cheat meal a day.

I did not plan to go entirely off course.

I did NOT plan to skip workouts, or taper off cardio, or set myself back in that way. 

     Waking this morning with the determination born of a new day, I immediately drank 16oz of water, and ate my on-plan breakfast. YAY me. I then put on my gym clothes, so I'd have NO EXCUSE not to  hit the gym for my on-plan workout. YAY GYM. I then made a KILLER vegetable soup, loaded with spinach and other healthy veggies, so I'd have NO EXCUSE not to bang down my veggie servings for the remainder of the week. Getting creative with those meals, now that I have a little more leeway in what I consume, but keeping to my macros and calorie-allowances. I also got rid of the tempt-y foods in the house, that I would have snacked on if the urge hit and my brain wanted to make excuses. Just having that damn mango in the house is too much for my resistance. I can buy it the day OF a cheat meal, then toss the rest, but I CANNOT HAVE temptation in the house.

     Now I feel great! I have chicken breast ready to nom, I have my veggie soup all ready, and I have rekindled my motivation to be who I want to be, which is healthy and strong. Getting back on track for me is all about making it easier on myself, and taking it each step at a time, each meal at a time, each day at a time. If I find my motivation flagging again, I just need to remember how it felt physically after 4 days of indulgence. I don't need that. I don't need BLUE. I'm moving forward, not back, and I'm glad.

12 Week Progress

This is a long-awaited post, at least, I've waited 12 weeks to post it.

In those twelve weeks, I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot about fat loss, about things that work and do not work. I've learned and actually internalized the truth, that gimmicks are snake oil, and fat loss is achieved by what you do and do not put in your mouth, in combination with hard work at the gym. (But mostly what you do or do not put in your mouth!)

I have watched friends and family enjoying wine and cocktails at special events. I have danced sober at a wedding. I have sprinted up countless hills, wallowed in soreness as my hamstrings ached, and repeatedly been reduced to tears over my emotional addiction to some foods.

     I have also watched with pride and wonder as my jeans got baggier, and baggier. I have happily snuggled into jeans which were tight on my body in my fittest college days. I have watched my muscles emerging in the mirror as I do rows and deadlifts. I now deadlift more than my own weight.
I have giggled to myself as I curl more (and with better form, yo!) than the guy next to me at the gym. I have had my world ROCKED when I *effortlessly* did a complete pull up from hanging dead weight. . . and then did another two.

     What has happened in this 12 week transformation plan with my coach Robin Romero from Prissy Sassy Fitness? I have regained control over my own body, and have taken myself to a new level of fitness and health I have never hitherto achieved. I have already outlined the basics of how I did it in my previous posts, but this one is for pictures.

BEFORE:
February 24, 2013
Weight: 153.5 lbs
22.3% Body fat

AFTER:
May 18, 2013
Weight:
17.2% Body Fat

PICTURES
(Before on left, After on right)

The feelings of excitement and pride are so rewarding. I don't remember ever being this weight since junior high, and I know I am more muscular and stronger than I have ever been in my life, as is evidenced here, as I do pull ups.

That was a moment that rocked my world. From no pull ups in my life, to almost ten in one evening. 

This is not the end of my journey, just a really nice scenic viewpoint to pause, reflect, and reaffirm my commitment to a fit lifestyle.

The Change Behind Change

     I'm 8.5 weeks into my first coached fatloss program, and I'm very excited by my changing body and improved fitness levels. I'm harder, tighter, and stronger than I've ever been in my life. Even my sometimes-critical mom notices, she and my father saw me for the first time in 6 weeks last weekend and both kept calling me "skinny".

     (That actually stuck in my craw a little, I'm by NO MEANS skinny, and I kept having my mom poke parts of me to see they were in fact muscularly hard, not skinnyfat. I realized they just didn't have the vocabulary to describe my changing physique accurately, so used "skinny" instead of lean, svelte, cut, whatever.) I told my mom, proudly, "I haven't been this size since Junior High!" She responded, "Sarah, I don't know if you were ever this size. You certainly weren't this SHAPE." Which was intended as a compliment about how I look now, not a dig at how I looked then. (See, sometimes I AM capable of reading intent, not just responding to the words that were said. Sensitivity. I'm learning it.)

     Apart from the changes I'm seeing in my own body, I'm beginning to notice the positives in my own plan (again, thanks to the expertise of Robin Romero and Prissy Sassy Fitness) compared with the circular thinking and results of my previous weight-loss attempts. 

Here's me, pre-weight loss. Approximately 180lbs, on the right, there. 

What I was doing wrong:

Skipping meals to "save calories"

Avoiding "carbs" in the form of grains, and starches like potato

Cardio Guilt: If I ate something "bad" I'd do "extra cardio" to "burn it off"

Not being consistent, I'd stick to something for a week, MAYBE two, before returning to previous habits.

Never kicked alcohol to the curb. 

Weekend Setbacks: I'd be on-plan all week, Monday-Friday, then Friday night through Sunday night it was a free-for-all. Not a cheat meal, not a cheat day, a FREE FOR ALL weekend, which would more than undo any dietary progress I'd made during the week.

     Even when I was lifting heavy and exercising like a maniac (on Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer) I didn't lose fat consistently because of the above failures. Now, keep in mind, any exercise, any heavy lifting, those are steps forward. A very out of shape person can lose weight by making small tweaks in their diet or exercise levels. I, however, was at a point where I was cardiovascularly fit, and just was carrying around fat because I was eating wrong to lose it.

What I'm doing right, with guidance:

1.) Eating more small meals throughout the day. 

There is much debate in the diet/bodybuilding world as to whether this makes any difference in metabolism, as claimed by some. I don't know if it does or not, what it does for me is keeps me eating specific foods in specific amounts throughout the day, which staves off hunger and cravings, and stops me from being too hungry leading to a BINGE.

2.) Drinking a gallon of water or more per day.

Drinking water helps you lose fat. Period. Do it. You're made up of water. So are your muscles. WATER, just do it.

3.) I'm sticking to the meal plan. 

Sometimes I get one cheat meal a week. I'm not deviating from what I'm told to do, and I've been doing it for over 8 weeks. This has gotten me results. Consistency. Continual consistency gets results.

4.) Moderate cardio, heavy lifting.

When I say heavy lifting, I don't mean picking up your 7 year old kid during a tantrum. I mean 5+ days a week in a gym, lifting enough weight that by my 10th rep whatever body part is trembling with exertion and is almost unable to maintain form. It's a joy to finish a set of hip thrusters and feel my glute muscles scream in agony. THIS is what is meant by pain=progress.

     Seriously, that's about it. And knowing all this, seeing the differences in my body, it is really beginning to drive me batsh*t when I see friends doing the same circular failings I did when I didn't know any better. All those literal YEARS of dieting or deprivation, for NOTHING. It was so frustrating, to put forth all this effort and sacrifice for weeks on end, only to return to the former state, former weight, and not understand why permanent change wasn't happening for me. I'd explain it away with genetics, with "set weight point", any other myth I chose to believe to justify my stagnation. 

     If you're trying to lose weight, or lose fat, and you're doing it for the x-teenth time and experiencing the same issues you have in the past, TRY SOMETHING NEW. Don't perpetuate the cycle that leads to failure, TRY SOMETHING NEW. 

<Something new? Change. Over on the left, top, is my body 8 and 7 weeks ago. On the bottom is my body as of last Saturday (and a couple weeks back in the jeans. Yes, that is the same pair of jeans worn in both photos.) My body is changing. I'm not using tricks, photoshop, or anything else. These pics can also be seen on my Sarah4fitness profile on bodybuilding dot com, or facebook.>

    

   There is a LOT of misinformation out there, from fad diets (that includes you, Dr. Atkins, CARBS AREN'T THE DEVIL) to gimmicks (can you say pregnancy hormone starvation diet?), to seriously destructive methods of calorie counting like the damn My Fitness Pal app, which teaches you to obsess over the calorie count, and guesstimate what you're burning, and then to EAT MORE to "fill in" the calorie deficit.... NO NO NO. Such a detrimental app in the hands of someone who hasn't been fully educated on what EXACTLY your body really needs to lose fat. 

     Anyway, I'm trying hard not to preach. I'm trying hard not to poke people I see on Facebook or in my real life who keep hopping on the weight-loss carousel for a ride, rather than hopping OFF it in favor of a life change. I just continue on my own path, quietly (for the most part) hoping that when others are ready for true fat loss success, that they'll ask me how I did it, so I can direct them to help. Or hey, if they wait a little longer, until I'm certified as a trainer myself, so I can help them directly. Everyone deserves to have the body they want, and everyone can have it. They need the right tools.

Magazines

     Well, after reading the latest Women's Health, to which I've had a subscription for years, I got off my butt and cancelled this worthless subscription this morning. I got irritated last night as I flipped through the Katherine McPhee featured mag, seeing NO muscle tone on any of the models, including the featured McPhee. So many articles about beauty, makeup, hairstyles, and only scant mentions of fitness.
     What really sealed the deal was reading the workout which advised using 8-12lb dumbbells 3 times a week to work out various parts of the body. Head, meet wall. Repeat. This stupid magazine seemingly perpetuates the myth that if women lift anything heavier than their own boobs, they'll turn into this:

(And hey, if you DO want to look that way, more power to you! It's not everyone's aesthetic of choice, but mad props to the women who put forth that kind of effort and determination to build the kind of body that takes that much hard work. No body deserves ridicule.)

     But let's be real: the average female who lifts weights, even (gasp) HEAVY weights (like, your own bodyweight! More than that! ERMAGERD!) won't look like that woman featured above without actually intending to get there. Magazines and articles that perpetuate this myth are detrimental to women, and fitness. Here's a woman who lifts heavy weights, and competes in fitness competitions:

See the difference? I'm not saying one kind of body is better/preferable to the other, but I want to point out the serious visual differences between what perception of weightlifters is versus the reality. For the record, this particular writer and fitness enthusiast would prefer to look like the strong and beautiful Jamie Eason (pic 2), but that body also takes hard work and relentless dedication to eating habits.

     Now, maybe other bodies can achieve the kind of results they want with 8 pound dumbbells, but my body didn't change until I picked up the heavy weights, and put down the processed foods. If you're looking to be genuinely strong, and want a magazine to help you carve away the fat while leaving you fit and healthy, and able to maintain a newly de-fatted body, please check out Oxygen over Women's Health. Doing so has made a huge difference in how I view myself, my goals, and how I've gone about losing 30 pounds of fat while increasing my muscle mass and lowering my BMI. I'm still a work in progress, but that below is 180 to 150lbs. If I can do it, ANYONE can.

Turn YOUR Fat into MUSCLE!!!

     Do you want to go from flabby to fit? From soft to hard? Do you dream of changing your fat into hard, admirable muscle?  I can tell you the secret to MAKE THAT HAPPEN, friend!

     And if you believe that, I've also got a timeshare on Mars I'd like to sell you. You arrive by TARDIS, and ride magical unicorns that fart See's candy. 

   THE TRUTH

     The truth is: it is impossible to turn fat into muscle. Fat is made up of cells. Fat cells. Muscle is made of up of cells. MUSCLE cells. You cannot magically turn one kind of cell into another, any more than you can turn your brain tissue into gluteal tissue. It just won't happen, no matter how big a butthead you are. You CANNOT turn one kind of cell into another.

     You CAN grow or shrink your fat cells. Eat a lot of junk and live a sedentary lifestyle, you can enlarge your fat cells or grow more of the squishy little buggers. Even when you lose fat through fit lifestyle and proper eating, you cannot GET RID of those fat cells. The only way to get rid of them is through liposuction, which literally sucks the cells out of your body and they're gone for good. (Until you go and create more.) 

     You CAN strengthen and grow your muscle cells as well. Strength training and proper diet can increase your muscle, increase your strength, and increase your metabolism all of which help to maintain a healthy weight, and help to eliminate fat from your  body. 

     I can't tell you how many times I see "turn fat into muscle in 3 easy steps" or some other such ludicrous claim. If you have a trainer, or a program, or a fat loss supplement that claims to "Turn fat" into ANYTHING, I'd seriously reconsider using that product, person, or program. It's an ignorant and misused claim, and you owe yourself better than getting duped by false promises. 

     Go out there. Build some muscle by weightlifting and eating right. LOSE some fat mass by avoiding processed foods and not overeating. But even when your new toned muscles start to come through, don't fool yourself into believing you somehow converted one kind of cell into another. You're not an alchemist. You're a person on their path to fitness. 

Gym Etiquette

     January brings about a predictable and consistent phenomenon in gyms: a sudden influx of new gym-goers. I strive to be supportive and excited for these people, who are getting a new or revamped opportunity to better their health and thereby their lives. At the same time, I personally struggle against being entitled, envious, or territorial about having so much more traffic. I acknowledge I have no more right to any weight than any other person. I have no more right to any equipment than any other person. . .  

     

     (Except for those who aren't USING said equipment for anything more than a couch, which drives me batshit crazy and I will comment upon 1. When I see it and 2. When it is an inconvenience to me, such as last night, when I could not find any available stability balls on which to execute my abs workout, only to later find three of them being sat upon, couchlike, throughout my 30 minute cardio session by three mommies sedentarily watching their kids be active in a class. I WILL state that gym equipment is not a couch any more than it is "yours," so share and be considerate of others.)

     As there are these new exercisers, I notice certain courtesies being overlooked, either due to ignorance (correctable! Read on!) or through entitlement and lack of consideration for others. The first can be corrected, the second is inexcusable. 

Unspoken Gym Rules Everyone Should Know (and follow!)

     Please keep in mind all of these are common courtesy to other users and staff. If you can't follow them, you probably don't belong in public, let alone the shared space of a gym. So now that you know, be aware.

1.) Re-Rack your weights. Or in other words, put things back where they belong when you're done using them. Don't put them back where you found them, if you found the 25 pound dumbbells in the 55 pound dumbbell spot. Use common courtesy and don't be lazy about it, the next user has as much right as you to find their weights where they belong.

2.) Smells: You're in a common space, use whatever needed to ensure your scent does not encroach on others in a negative way. This may mean wearing deodorant, if you do not otherwise. This may mean brushing your teeth or chewing gum, if prone to halitosis-scented breath, since exerting oneself often leads to open-mouthed-huffing away. This CERTAINLY means not bathing yourself in cologne or body spray prior to your sweat session. Even if your goal is to attract a member of the opposite sex while at the gym, dousing yourself in a shower of scent is just rude.

3.) Respect the water fountain: It is not a receptacle for loogies, gum, garbage, or the remnants of your fruity protein shake. This is not your home kitchen, other people put their mouths there to drink water.
OH, and don't you DARE spit on the floor. I've seen this. Are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Oh, I'll call you out right there if you do. Your mama taught you better than that.

4.) Wipe down the equipment. If you get your sweat on something, use the spray and towels provided (and they are, you just have to look. If you don't see these items, ask a gym employee) to wipe away what you leave behind. MRSA (disgusting, look it up) is everywhere, it behooves everyone to sanitize as often as possible on equipment used by many.

5.) USE the Equipment if you're on it: Should be self-explanitory, right? I can't count the number of times I see people lounging on machines, monopolizing treadmills, not actually using the equipment, but instead standing/sitting/leaning on it possessively while talking to a friend, or on the phone, or playing on their iphones for extended periods of time with others actually waiting to WORK OUT. Don't do this. Please don't be that person. I occasionally take photos of these people, and have every intent to tweet them with appropriate "Lazy Treadmill Monopolizer Chatted for 15 Minutes with Onlookers Aghast" captioning.

6.) Use the Equipment for what it's for: If you don't know how to use a particular piece of equipment, ask. Do not hurt yourself, please! Also, if you're in the only squat rack in your gym, and you're using it to do barbell bicep curls, please stop. There are areas for legs, there are areas for upper body. Learn the difference and use accordingly.

7.) Don't steal other people's stuff. This extends to equipment they're using. If someone is clearly doing supersets using two machines, or two sets of dumbbells, for the love of pete ASK them if you can work in before using the stuff they're using. If in doubt if it's in use, ASK. If there are plates on a piece of equipment, or a towel, or someone's water bottle within arm's distance, it may be in use. So ask. It all comes back to sharing.

8.) With #7 in mind: SHARE. Don't monopolize a bunch of different machines and weights and equipment all at once for your personal 12 exercise rotational circuit. Expect to have to share. Your workout timing is no more important than the next person's, so work it out as you work out. People who don't let others work in look like  douchebags. Sorry. They do.

Now For Some Personal (Possibly Absurd) Ones I Advocate

1.) If there are multiple cardio machines (say ellipse) available, pick one that is NOT directly next to another user. It's like a bathroom stall or urinal. Give people as much space as you can, so they don't feel you're looking over their shoulder or otherwise getting in their workout. Maybe it's picky, but when I'm sweating away on a machine, huffing and puffing and generally being gross, if someone ignores the other 10 available machines and plops down on the one NEXT to mine (which I have picked precisely because it is out of the way and allows others the maximum number of available machines away from mine to use) I see it as obnoxious, intrusive, and potentially creepy. So don't do it.

2.) Smells 2: I (and others attuned to scent) can smell what you eat and what your habits are by your scent. Creepy? Sure. Sorry. It's an ability I didn't ask for. I can smell cigarettes on you, and it reeks. Please try not to smoke right before the gym, yes, it's THAT strong and yes, it bothers others. 

     Same with weed. The influx of newbies (said affectionately) that reek of marijuana baffles me. How can you be motivated for a strong workout if you're high? How can you find your feet, let alone use them to lift or run? Please don't. Mostly because it smells, but also because you should operate heavy machinery (weights! gym equipment!) while high. 

 
3.) Respect others' space. Don't infringe on someone else while they're watching their reps in the mirror, try to avoid walking between them and the mirror. Try to allow everyone the space they need to perform the exercise they're doing.

4.) Staring. SIGH. I know, I can't stop others from looking at me. I can't help occasionally glancing at others, or pausing to admire a really perfect form while an usual exercise is being expertly executed. But the long, looooong, creepy stares while someone's doing squats, or whatnot, is probably unwelcome. There are, I'm sure, exceptions, some people probably love being stared at for whatever reason, but for me, it's unwanted. I also don't welcome being hit on at the gym. Never have. The gym is my me-time, my-space, leave me alone I'm sweating and fixing myself time. Always happy to have a short conversation between sets to be friendly, or wave at gym-acquaintances, but I'm not there to be social, I'm there to work out. It's a gym.

There will probably be multiple amendments to this post as more things occur to me in the future. I'll try to provide humorous anecdotes to accompany them for your ongoing entertainment.

January; What I'm doing, and Why

     On December 31, 2012, I weighed myself. On my home scale, first thing in the morning, bootybutt naked, not having consumed food or water prior to weighing.  My weight was 156 pounds. This is approximately 3-6 pounds heavier than where I've been for the past three months, and is one pound higher than my "OMIGOD my weight is up too high!" weight. This weight was not a surprise, however, and I did not panic. I let my healthy eating slip a lot since Thanksgiving, and in the past two weeks had eaten out frequently, completely ignored my basic caloric and protein/carbs/fats requirements. I had, however, been consistently exercising, working out according to the plan I'd set for myself, with only one rest day a week. My strength has been increasing, as has my endurance, so I am in no mental emergent state thinking my current weight is going to continue to spiral upwards, or out of control.

     Like many, I've got my New Years resolutions (or goals) for the year. Some are general, some geared towards family, friends, and personal betterment, but here I'm going to focus on my general and specific goals for my fitness and health. Several of my goals come in stages, which is important, because it allows me to work towards a bigger long term goal in smaller, manageable increments. Achieving each smaller goal will be an accomplishment in itself, and will fill me with pride to have come so far.

Goals
1.) Weight
    a.) I will weigh less than 150 pounds
    b.) I will weigh 145 pounds or less
    c.) I will weigh under 140 pounds
2.) I will go through January without consuming alcohol.
3.) I will complete Jamie Eason's Live Fit 12 week workout series.
4.) I will complete an unassisted pull up.

     Please keep in mind, these "weight" goals are not randomly picked. I have estimated my ideal weight for my height, muscularity, body type, and ever increasing fitness level. According to these calculations, for my height (5'4.5") I should weigh between 122 and 132 pounds. My current overall goal is to weigh approximately 135 pounds, and my above goals incrementally bring me very close to that goal. I do not believe in arbitrarily picking a weight and obsessing about achieving it; I believe that muscle and fitness are more important than a number on a scale, or even a dress size. I do not believe in obsessing over the scale rather than focusing on proper nutrition and exercise. I do however find it a good measure of progress, and use it as a tool rather than a be-all, end-all line of judgement.

     To achieve my goals, I am adhering to two main plans. One is a diet, the second is an exercise plan.
For two weeks I am following Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet (Recharged) "Cooler 1 Plan". This consists of lots of vegetables, high fiber carbs, high protein, and healthy fats. (Feel free to check this out at http://www.eatcleandiet.com, or ask me for more specifics.) I am adding additional supplements to this diet, including fish oil, multivitamin, casein and whey protein, and bcaa supplements, which I have found improve my workouts and minimize soreness.

     The second plan is my workout plan. I've been following the Live Fit program, and am on my 8th week. (Check it out here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html ) I have not been following the eating plan, especially lately, but expect I would have seen much faster progress if I had. I have however, been VERY strict about giving it my all every workout, and not skipping workouts. Exercising 6 days a week has become a habit, and I'm always much happier after a gym session. I am excited to see what changes occur going forward with proper nutrition and portion sizes.

     So, I've taken my measurements, I've taken my photos, I'm ready to rock my goals in the New Year.

The Importance of Eating Breakfast

This post brought to you by the early hour and a hot coffee in front of me. (And the letter B, which is for breakfast, and the number 7, which is the number of days a week you should eat breakfast.)
 For the sake of brevity, the post could end there, if you'd take it and run with it and not look back. Those who need further convincing, read on.

In high school, I convinced myself a great way to "save calories" for the day was to skip breakfast, many of which I didn't have time to prepare anyway, as sleeping in trumped food for me. Who needs a mediocre breakfast when you can have another ten minutes of suddenly appearing naked in front of your audition audience for your school play, right? RIGHT? Er...maybe just me?
This rejection of breakfast worked against me. I'd wait until lunch to eat, at which time I'd be cranky and hungry to the point of not caring what I put in my face. I'd then tell myself after lunch that since I'd "saved" so many calories by avoiding breakfast, that a logical snack in the afternoon was whatever candy I wanted, in order to avoid the 2-4pm energy slump. TA DAH, health fail. This is a standard occurance for those who skip what is, in fact, the most important meal of the day.

But why? Why is breakfast important?
Your body has not eaten since you went to bed. (Unless you take Ambien and are given to late night unknown trips to the fridge, not uncommon as I understand it.) Your body has been in a state of fast for 6-8-whatever hours. In order to end that state of fasting, your body needs food. Some say this is needed to jumpstart your metabolism, some say it's just to begin the process of fueling your body's needs for the coming day. The truth is, if you don't eat breakfast, it is far more likely you'll make poor food choices later in the day, and overestimate what else you should eat.

Ok, I give in. What SHOULD I eat for breakfast?
If you're convinced, and willing to use this excellent tool to assist in your fitness goals, then let's talk about what to eat. I'm currently a fan of eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, so my breakfast usually consists of 1/6 of my daily calories. 4-6 eggwhites is only ABOUT 110 calories, and packs a whallop of protein. (Approximately 3.6grams of protein per egg white.) I've got to be honest here, having been on and off eating plans since March, I've grown a bit tired of the egg white. I have recently embraced the whole egg. I eat fewer of these, one or two on a heavy workout day, but it should be noted that a whole egg has 6.28 grams of protein, and approximately 75 calories, therefor those on a reduced calorie diet should eat in moderation.
In addition to the egg/eggwhite, I have a half cup (uncooked) of oatmeal, seasoned with some cinnamon, or with a tablespoon or two of bee pollen (shut up, try it, it's amazing), or pumpkin puree and spices. I eat this until I'm so full I can't cram another bite into my face, and it's usually not the full serving. Paired with a big glass of water, you're stuffed. I usually am full until lunch with this meal.

If I'm at the gym, or rushing out of the house, I make sure to mix a scoop of whey or multi-protein with water and chug it so I have at least gotten the nutrients going. The important thing is NOT to NOT eat. Eat. Eating fuels your body, and your energy, and your life.

I may add some fun breakfast recipes in the future!

It Starts

Today, as I strained up from a set of straight-leg dead lifts, a drop of sweat (ew, right?) made it's way from my hairline down my forehead, along the side of my nose, and I swear it looked just like a tear. I laughed to myself, and found in that moment my new gym mantra. Sweat, not tears.
My "teardrop"

Life has thrown some pretty lame moves at me lately, and instead of wallowing in self pity, I've found fun and exertion at the gym are just what I need to move forward through the stress. Working out is a fantastic way for the body to reduce stress. It releases endorphins. It gives you a mental sense of accomplishment. For me, while I'm concentrating on pushing my body, it takes all my focus and allows me to ignore what's going on outside of the gym doors. Fitness has become my escape.

For a long time, I've considered starting a fitness or body blog. I've spent time on fitness websites, ordered subscriptions to Fitness, Women's Health, and Oxygen Magazine. (Incidentally, the only one worth reading, in my humble opinion, for anything more than fluff, is Oxygen.) I've worked out since I discovered the weight room in high school, and for years was an avid devotee of hours on the ellipse machine.

My weight has gone up, my weight has gone down. A never ending weight roller-coaster. I'm definitely a typical "average woman," I've never seen a size 2, I frequently lament the size of my thighs, and I struggle with knowing what's good for me to eat, versus what tastes or feels good in my face hole. Hence, my fitness journey, ramblings, and experiences may help others on their path towards a healthy, happy, body-accepted lifestyle. Share my journey with me!