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Friday, January 31, 2014

BEAST MODE

Exercise makes me feel like I can do anything.  Especially the heart pumping, sweat dripping, trying to catch your breath kind.  BEAST MODE!  "BEAST!  You are a BEAST!" - That's what my "trainer" Keaira LaShae says.  You know what that says to me?  YOU DID IT!!! You are accomplishing your goal.  I am definitely one of those people who says "I don't want to".  That doesn't stop me from doing it.  In fact, it might just make me work harder to prove to myself that I really do want to.  I have been amping it up by pushing harder the last few days.  I am nearly done with the 30 day challenge (Day 26 done today!) and I feel amazing!  Based on my past actions, I truly never thought that I could stick with a program as long as I have.  I have been working out with Keaira for a little over 3 months starting with Daily Burn and now on YouTube and I have no intention of stopping.  Finding what works for you is the key to success.  Dancing may not work for you but I love it!  She definitely keeps me motivated and feeling like a BEAST!  Make sure to find something that makes you feel like a beast too!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Noticing your progress

Sometimes noticing my own accomplishments is a hard thing to do.  I usually am looking at my faults instead of my success.  The other day I put on this cute little vest that I rarely wear (presumably because it didn't fit well) and went WOH!  Not only did I zip it right up I wasn't self conscious at all about wearing it.  I also put on a sweater today that I do wear on a fairly regular basis and was pleasantly surprised at how much more comfortably it fit.  +1 Point for me!


I also have the opposite problem as well (weird I know).  I feel like I have lost more than I have and that the size I wear should be smaller than it is.  This is my love/hate story with jeans.  Jeans fit weird.  In general.  I think if jeans fall off that logically you should be able to wear the next size down.  Right?  Wrong.  I am at one of those stages right now where my current jeans can be pulled right off (they would fall off if not for my hips); however, when I went to buy the next size down they were skin tight.  I even tried multiple brands because I know that it can be a factor.  Nope.  Didn't matter.  How frustrating!  Am I the only one that has this problem?


I take solace in knowing that there will come a time where my weight won't change that drastically and I will always know what size to buy.  And that size will be a much smaller one than it is now.  For now I am happy to "have" to go shopping! 

Monday, January 27, 2014

Using your bounty

I participate in a co-op group called Bountiful Baskets where every 2 weeks I order and receive a basket full of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Sometimes, I receive interesting items that I have never cooked with before.  As you should know by now, I am ALWAYS up for a challenge.  The particular item this week that was new for me was artichokes.  Now, I like this flavor.  I like it on Papa Murphy's pizza (I know, I know) and I love them in Spinach and Artichoke dip.  I have never made this other than the packages you can buy that contain about a million calories and even more grams of fat.  So...I took to the handy dandy internet to see if I could find one that I could actually eat.  There are very few that actually use fresh artichokes (perhaps due to the work involved to get to the heart).  I did find one though so I will try it and let you know.  If you want to try it in the meantime, you can get the recipe here!  My next basket arrives on Saturday - can't wait to see what's in that one!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Money is a good motivator

It's Sunday.  Which means a day of rest for me.  No formal workout.  Relaxed nutritional level (not thrown out the window - just relaxed).  And a day of reflection.  I like to be motivated.  One of my biggest motivators is money.  That is the reason that I am ambitious with my business ventures and why a monetary reward for weight loss is a good thing.  Chris and Heidi Powell (Extreme Weight Loss gurus) have offered a challenge.  The more people that sign up - the bigger the pot.  Currently, it's at nearly $60,000.  I think $30 is a fair price to pay for a piece of that.  The contest is 4 weeks long and if you lose 4% of your body weight, you get a piece of that prize!  Sounds like fun, right?  I think so.  Money for getting healthy?  I think so!  I signed up - You should sign up too!  We can do it together! 

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

"Won't" Power

Sometimes I feel like I am the only one fighting this fight.  Am I the only one?  I sometimes think my whole world revolves around my next meal and making sure I get my workout in and "No, thank you I don't need a piece of cake to go with my coffee".  I find myself wondering how anyone keeps on track with so many food pushers in the world.  I think it comes down to shear "won't" power.  That's right "'won't" power.  I WON'T allow anyone to take away my success.  I WON'T succumb to pressure about my eating habits.  I WON'T apologize for becoming a better person.  I think it's about this time when the willpower kicks in.  I WILL overcome any obstacle put in front of me.  I WILL finish what I started.  I WILL achieve my goals.  Do you have the "won't" power to face your challenges head on?  Do you have the willpower to be successful?  I do.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Goals vs. Resolutions

Holy!  I can't believe it's been a week already since the last time I posted.  How are your New Year's goals (not resolutions) going?  Resolutions are so serious, final and most of all are the first things to go out the window when you reach a bump.  Goals can be adjusted to account for the fact that life changes ALL THE TIME!  One of my goals already has been challenged since I intended to blog every day.  Clearly I am behind.  See?  If it were a resolution, it would have been over already!  Good thing I set goals instead, don't you think?

My wellness goal, on the other hand, is going really well.  I am officially halfway through the New Year 30 day Weight Loss, Body Sculpting and Toning Challenge with Keaira LaShae on YouTube.  I have lost 8 pounds (woohoo!).  I cannot wait to get to the end of it to see how many total inches are gone as well as all the pounds!  It's exciting!  I'm excited to see my hard work payoff.  Let's keep that going!

How are your goals coming along?  Progress?  Road bumps?  I want to know so leave me a comment.  We're in this together, remember?  Until next time, keep fighting it!

Monday, January 13, 2014

Pizza is the devil

Hello.  My name is Crystal and I am a pizzaholic.

Confession time!  I am addicted to pizza.  Addicted.  It is the one food on the planet that I have SERIOUS issues with.  I made myself a deal a few months ago that I would only eat pizza I made from scratch.  I have done REALLY well with that.  Until last night.  Then it all went out the window.  Every time I drink more than 1 glass of wine, my body says YOU NEED PIZZA!  So the empty alcohol calories aren't enough, I need to add significant calories and insane fat grams to my diet as well.  I had one of those moments last night.  I can only recall 1 time that I ever drank that I didn't have pizza.  It's crazy.  My DH even gave me the option for Lean Pockets.  Apparently my I WANT PIZZA overtook his willpower to stop me from myself because - I had pizza!  I did not add extra cheese which is rare in itself.  Bottom line: I know better.  This is the main reason that I rarely drink.  I am unable (unwilling) to stop myself.  At least it was Sunday and I have the rest of the week to make up for this choice.  No excuses.  I made a choice to eat it.  I am very aware of this flaw in my nutritional focus.  I had a VERY small amount of fat grams today and limited calories to level the playing field a bit.  One day does not a lifestyle make.  It's about making more good choices than bad and continuing on the journey even when poor choices are made.  I am still fat...and fighting it!

Saturday, January 11, 2014

You are what you eat

I LOVE TO COOK!  There...I said it...it's out there.  I like to come up with unique concoctions that taste amazing.  I sometimes will just go through the pantry and just throw things in a pan regardless if they make sense or not.  You would not believe what that looks like sometimes.  I can't think of a single time that it was terrible.  Interesting - but not terrible.  The main reason I make concoctions is that I get bored really easily.  When you eat healthy non-processed food, there are only so many things you can eat.  That being said there are a least a million different combinations of those foods.  That's where my concoction creation process comes into play.  Vegetables go with vegetables.  New things come to life with minimal effort and look beautiful with all the colors and textures.  Can you here the proverbial "Ahhhh".  I can. 

In fact, because I love to cook so much I am going to be putting up recipes that reflect my style.  I refuse to eat things that don't taste good.  I refuse.  The most common complaint about "healthy" food is that it doesn't taste good.  Mine does.  Sometimes I get ideas in my head, then I find a recipe that's kind of close and tweak it to make it healthier or just add things that I think would contribute to the flavor.  That totally counts as a concoction (I just love that word).  For example, tonight I wanted chicken enchiladas.  I also wanted to be able to sleep tonight knowing that I ate in a healthy manner.  Enter Gina.  I follow her healthy recipes on skinnytaste.com.  Amazing!  Check out the original recipe here!  I just added extra chicken and used regular diced chiles instead of the chipotle kind.  Oh and of course I added extra cilantro because...well...quite simply I LOVE cilantro.  I love cooking with cilantro because it smells great and gives a flavor and kick you can't really get anywhere else.  It's in my top 3 "go-to" seasoning/herbs along with garlic and fresh basil.  ANYTHING will taste better with one of those three items - GUARANTEED!

So...when you're tired of eating the same thing over and over.  Make a concoction.  You won't regret it!

 

Friday, January 10, 2014

She's trying to kill me

OK not really.  But being a superhero is NOT an easy task.  Just ask Keaira LaShae.  In case you don't know, Keaira is a fitness trainer, dancer and singer.  The woman is amazing and has given me hope.  Hope that one day I will have arms and abs just like her.  I initially "met" her on Daily Burn (which I love).  She has a MOVE series on there that is the ONLY workout of any type that has kept my interest for more than a week.  Sooo... when I found out that she had put up a 30 day challenge on her YouTube channel, I thought... Hell yeah!  I'm in.  You can check it out here http://www.youtube.com/superherofitnesstv.  Honestly, it's awesome.  I am on Day 5 right now and, like a superhero, I am pushing through.  Not giving up.  But it's hard.  What I love most about her videos is that she will say "This is no joke, I am tired".  That is real.  Right now, she is my inspiration to get up at 5 am and workout.  Now that's saying something!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Welcome to my world

I have been blogging about my weight loss roller coaster for a few years now.  Privately.  It’s like a journal really.  I decided; however, that since 2014 is a year of action in my life that I would put my journey out there for the world to see.  To create a place where people check in and get the inspiration they need to accomplish their own goals.  Now whether or not that has anything to do with weight loss is not for me to decide.  I like to encourage people to be the best they can be no matter what that looks like.  My journey tends to begin and end with weight loss at this point.  At least that is the focus of my drive right now.  Oh and being independently wealthy (doesn’t everyone?).   I guess my point with this is that although the blog is titled “Fat and Fighting It”… it could just as easily be “(Insert your challenge here) and Fighting It”.  I believe together we can eliminate our challenges by finding creative solutions.   Who’s with me?