Making the Change...Again!

Ok, so I know it’s been a while since I have written anything. Frankly, it’s been a while since I worked out consistently, ate healthy, or made any progress in achieving my weight loss goal. I think I got very excited about my weight loss with P90X that I started splurging because I thought I deserved it. Unfortunately, I splurged myself back up 9 lbs. Ugh! It is so frustrating. But you know what, I did it to myself. I have no one to blame but myself. I wish giving up my food addiction was easy. I wish I could just walk away and never look back. However, that is not the case. I came to the realization that I will struggle with a food addiction for the rest of my life. It’s time to face the facts.

Recently I was feeling down. No workout commitment, no clean eating, weight gain. I tried Insanity and ended up pulling a ligament in my foot. This ultimately led me to giving up completely. However, I made a commitment Sunday September 23, 2012 to start over. I decided to start TurboFire on Monday September 24, 2012. I also made a commitment to give up junk food for at least 30 days! No fast food, candy, chips, etc. I have to prove to myself that I could do this.

I struggle daily to keep my appetite under control. Sometimes, you feel all alone in your struggles. That’s how I was feeling. That is until I received a text message Monday from an old friend. I have to say, this conversation changed my life. She reached out to me because she too was struggling with the same addiction. We ended up talking on the phone for over an hour. It was great to talk to her about my struggles and to listen to hers as well. We both face similar obstacles. Expressing my weaknesses was a release for me. Saying all the things that I kept to myself for so long out loud to someone else was invigorating. At the end of our phone conversation, I believe we both inspired each other. She made me realize that I need to not only do this for myself, but that I need to do this for others. By helping myself, I would be helping others overcome their addictions. I decided right then that I WILL BE the one to overcome obesity and kick this food addiction for good! There will be no more excuses!

 So today I decided to start documenting my weight loss journey. I began a journal that will track my daily eating habits, calories consumed and burned daily, my goals and commitments, and most of all my struggles. So, what I need now is support. Support from my family, my friends and from others out there who are facing similar obstacles. I have decided to share the list of commitments I have compiled for myself as of today.

Here goes…

1.       Maintain daily journal

2.       Log food daily in My Fitness Pal

3.       NO JUNK FOOD!! NO EXCEPTIONS!

4.       Commit to workout program. TurboFire 20 week program!

5.       Workout daily. Be active even on rest days.

6.       Drink Shakeology daily. This should really be at number 1!

7.       EAT CLEAN!

8.       Review commitment list 2 times a day!

9.       Set an example for my children

10.   Live to see them grow up!

11.   Plan meals for the week

12.   Hold myself accountable for my actions!

13.   Stop being a statistic!

I have made these commitments and I plan on keeping each one of them. I WILL have the body I want if I just make the right sacrifices. Eating clean will not hurt my body! It will only make me better! I am excited to begin this new journey towards living a healthy lifestyle. I am looking forward to completing this workout program and sharing my success with others. Until then…

Happy and Healthy Living,


Neisha
http://beachbodycoach.com/NeNe4877
http://myshakeology.com/NeNe4877

Life’s Challenges

Every day we face challenges. Whether it’s managing your time to dealing with some life changing event, we all have to something to deal with one way or another. One of my daily challenges pertains to food. I struggle daily to make the right food choices and stay on track towards my healthy living goal. One thing I have learned is that life will always get in the way. My excuses used to be I just don’t have the time right now or I can’t handle work and school AND fitting in a workout. I used to think there was just no way was it going to happen. I am glad that I hit my low point over a year ago and decided to make a change. One of the changes that I had to make was my way of thinking.

I decided to remove “It’s too hard” or “I’m too busy” from my vocabulary. I refused to allow myself to continue thinking this way. I have to say, it was the best decision I have ever made. I am proud to say this week I hit one of my major goals. Since May 2011, I have lost a total of 45 lbs. Woohoo! I have to give credit where credit is due. The last 17 lbs. I owe to my first round of P90X. As I said in one of my previous blogs, in May of 2011 I decided I needed a change. I was tired of being overweight, tired of being obese. Yes, I said it! That ugly word no one wants to hear, obese!  Joining the gym helped me lose my first 20 lbs. which was great. But I hit a plateau and needed a push. I already had P90X from one of the many times I decided I was going to try an at home workout program but never followed through. This time I was going to commit to the program and continue to push play. I am one week away from finishing my first round of P90X and I am so proud of myself for sticking with something for once in my life! Don’t get me wrong, I struggled along the way. There were days I didn’t want to work out. I just didn’t feel like it. But I made this commitment not only for myself but for my family and I was going to do it. And I did! I missed some workouts along the way but instead of sulking about it, I just picked back up where I left off. I am now 17 lbs. down and I feel amazing! I feel stronger and I have more energy! I am happier than I have been in a long time. I am excited to be completing my first round of P90X and am looking forward to starting Insanity on July 22^nd. I loved the program so much that I decided to sign up to be a coach with Beachbody in hopes of helping others.      

I refuse to sit back anymore and let me life slip away from me. I know I have a long way to go. I am nowhere near my goal weight but I am getting there. Every day is a new achievement for me. I only hope that by sharing my struggles that somewhere, my story is helping someone else overcome their doubts and fears about making the change in their life. I know firsthand what it feels like to be ashamed of yourself and what you have become. I always knew I was a good person. My family and friends always told me how beautiful I was no matter my size. But I wanted to be as beautiful on the outside as I felt on the inside. I realized I was the only one who could step up and take responsibility for myself and my actions. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and decided to do something about it. I am growing more and more proud every day of the person looking back at me in the mirror.

I heard this quote today and it really hit home for me. “Struggle is less painful than regret” ~Craig Holiday. Working out is not always easy, especially if you are just getting started with a program. But I know what regret feels like and I have to agree. The pain my body may feel after a strenuous workout is nothing compared to the pain I felt being overweight and every day doing nothing about it. I would rather struggle the rest of my life knowing that every struggle brings me closer to my life goals than sit back and dream about achieving them.     

Happy and Healthy Living,

Neisha

http://beachbodycoach.com/NeNe4877

http://beachbodycoach.com/NeNe4877

To Workout or Not To Workout...with a Cold

The last week and a half has proven difficult for me. I started feeling ill a week and a half ago, as if I was starting to get a head cold. But I decided to fight through it. I was going to fight this cold till the end. The first few days, I thought I was winning. Boy was I wrong. Suddenly, BAM! It hit me like a ton of bricks. I have been out of commission all week and am still recovering. I know most of you have been in this similar situation. What makes this hard for me is that I have broken my daily exercise routine that I so desperately worked hard to maintain. For some, this might not seem like a big deal. But for someone who struggles with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, this was like hitting a brick wall.   

I decided to do some research on whether it was beneficial to work out while sick or just relax and let your body heal. In doing my research, many sources stated to trust your body and the way it feels. They also suggested continuing your workout routine as long as your cold was from the neck up. With that, I decided to push myself so I could maintain my workout routine. Lord knows it took me months to establish my daily workout routine. I didn’t want a silly little cold to get in the way. Unfortunately, I made the wrong decision. I pushed myself for three solid days just to be hit with major flu like symptoms completely rendering me helpless. I couldn’t go to work. I didn’t have the energy to do anything. I was stuck at home bound to my couch for days feeling absolutely miserable and useless. This also did not help my eating routine. I found myself losing track of my daily eating habits. I was so exhausted that I didn’t have the energy to prepare my meals for the week ahead of time. I was also miserable to the point where I didn’t have the energy to stand in the kitchen to cook dinner for my family. Needless to say, we ordered out the majority of the week. Once again I found myself miserable due to illness but I also noticed I was even more miserable on the days after we ate out. I felt heavy and run down. Instead of feeding my body right so I could rebuild my immune system, I fed my body trash. I guess in a way, I figured if I was going to feel this miserable, then what difference did it make. After three or four days of eating whatever I wanted, my body was screaming at me. I knew that I just needed to stop. It’s a hard realization to come to grips with but I made a vow when I started this fitness journey to be honest with myself and with what I share with others. You won’t find any “sugar coating” here. I made poor decisions and I needed to own up to them, not wallow in them. It is what it is. You can’t change the past but you can change the future.  

I now know from experience that I should have listened to my body and let it have time to recover. I should have also maintained my healthy eating so I could feed my body the food it needed to aid in my recovery. Now, instead of missing a couple of workouts, I have missed a week’s worth. So my advice would be to listen to how your body feels and make your decision from there. I’m not saying use being sick as an excuse to skip a workout or two which can lead into three or more. All I’m saying is give yourself some time to recover if you feel you need it. But stay focused and maintain your goals so when you feel better, you can jump right back in the game. Falling off the wagon doesn’t have to be permanent. Like I tell my kids when they fall down, pick yourself up and shake it off! That is just what I plan to do.

Happy and Healthy Living,
Neisha

Back on Track!

Wow, it’s been ten months since my last blog or should I say my first and only blog! Life always seems to get in the way. In this case, it definitely did! I received a promotion at work shortly after starting my blog. So combine my new work duties with going to school full time and raising three kids, I kind of have my hands full. I’m not stressing out though. I am happy where my life has taken me. I have a great job that I love and an amazing family to go along with it. So here is what you missed over the last almost year of my life.

Things have definitely not been easy. In November of 2011, I hit a rough patch with my weight loss. It was not that I quit working out or eating healthy, I just hit a plateau. I was going to the gym five to six days a week along with eating healthy, for the most part, and not losing any weight. Even though I hit a plateau, I didn’t give up. I kept at it which brings me into March 2012 and still no dramatic results. I lost about 3 more lbs. which didn’t seem like a lot considering all the hard work I was putting into my workouts. Working hard and expecting different results makes it difficult to not fall off the wagon and return to my old ways. I knew back in March that I needed a change. Not sure exactly what kind of change but something different. My body was obviously getting used to my daily exercise routine which was prohibiting me from any further weight loss. It was in April that I decided to try a different workout.

Up to this point, I had lost 29 lbs. over the course of the last year going to the gym, 22 of which I lost from May 2011 to November 2011 when I hit my plateau. I felt stronger than I did before so I decided to give P90X a try. I bought the DVD’s for my husband a couple of years ago and they have just been sitting on the shelf collecting dust. I started P90X in April 7, 2012. I have to say this has been the best decision of my life! I feel absolutely amazing! Better than I’ve ever felt before. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s hard, real hard sometimes, especially in my first month of doing the workouts. There was many times where I thought to myself, “What the heck was I thinking!” But as Tony Horton would say, “Do your best and forget the rest!” I continued to push play. In my first month, even now that I am entering my third month, I couldn’t keep up with the reps in the workout. But instead of quitting, I just modified and did the reps at a pace I could keep up with. I am seeing some amazing results. I am down 14 lbs. since I started P90X. I am also down 3 inches in my waist and thighs and 2 inches in my chest and arms. It may not seem like a lot considering all the hype you hear about people losing extreme amounts of weight and inches in the first month of P90X but it means a lot to someone who hasn’t been able to lose a pound in months! I also incorporated Shakeology into my daily diet. I substitute one shake for breakfast. I can’t even express to you how amazing I feel. I have all this energy now!

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are days when I don’t feel like doing anything at all. And there are days when I still struggle and even fall off the wagon every now and then. But when I do, my body feels miserable and it is not a welcomed feeling. I know that in order to stop feeling this way, I need to feed my body right and get back into my exercise routine. I just started phase 3 of P90X and look forward to these final weeks. I am still undecided on which program I am going to do next, another round of P90X or Insanity! Not sure if I’m ready for Insanity yet! We shall see.

I am also going to try to blog about my journey on a daily basis. I am hoping that this blog will not only help me stay on the right track but help others as well! I wish everyone the best of luck in achieving their life goals no matter what their goals may be!

Happy and Healthy Living,

Neisha

Giving it a try!

Ok, so I've decided to get with the times and give this blogging thing a try. I am not usually the type of person to share my feelings with other but lately I have been in the giving kind of mood. Keeping that in mind, bare with me these next few weeks as I get adjusted to advertising my personal life online, lol.

So Making the Change...interesting title. Took me a minute to come up with but in the end, I decided it was the best title to describe many aspects of my life. So where do I begin. Let's see, I just turned 30 years old and decided my life isn't exactly the way I pictured it would be at this age. I am 30, overweight, run down and not exactly where I want to be. So what do I do about it? Cry, yes. Scream, maybe. Sink more and more into the point of no return, NO! Make a change, DEFINITELY!

My first change occurred in March of 2011. I decided to change my eating habits and do something about my weight. I was feeling completely run down and out of energy even after a full night’s sleep. It wasn't until my girls went with me to pick out clothes that I hit my breaking point. I felt the worst feeling of all, ashamed. Ashamed of me and how I let myself get this way. It was right then and there that I decided it was time for a change. And not a miracle that would happen overnight, not one that comes with taking diet pills and starvation. No, a lifestyle change. One that comes with a permanent solution. The only way to do that was to change my thinking about food and completely revise my eating habits, which is really hard for someone who is addicted to food. I began by eliminating the daily luncheons at work and started bringing my salads with my grilled chicken and apple cider vinegar salad dressing. I decided to incorporate these healthy changes into my daily diet at a slow pace instead of making major changes all at once and setting myself up for failure. I quickly became accustomed to eating salads everyday and I actually really enjoyed them! Now here's where the hard part comes in to play. I changed my eating habits at work, now I need to make the same changes at home. Still working on mastering that one! When you have a house full of kids and husband that can eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound, it's kind of hard not to look in that cabinet and grab whatever junk food is available.  

Next, I joined a gym in May 2011. I have to say I am really proud of myself. I can honestly say I get my monies worth out of my monthly membership! When I first started going to the gym, I could hardly do a pushup or even a leg squat. In the past three months I have come a long way! I still have a long way to go but I am in this for the long haul. 

I know there are many of you out there that feel the same way. I am definitely not alone! There have been many people who have inspired me to make a change in my life by making a change in theirs. I just needed to hit my breaking point which made me realize how unhealthy I was. I needed to make a change and make it fast. I have three beautiful kids and I want to be around to see them grow up into beautiful men and women. I am making this change for me and for my family and I am not going to let anything stop me from being the person I should have been all along. 

And so my journey to become a better me begins...


Love Always,
Neisha