Numbers

Everywhere you look, there are numbers telling us how we should look, what we should do, what standards we should measure up to, etc.  They can make you crazy.  How much do you weigh? How tall are you? What size are you? What is your BMI? Well, my BMI tells me I'm obese.  Not just overweight. Obese! (Or at least it did at my highest weight of 188).  And the funny thing is, these numbers don't really TELL you anything.  BMI takes no consideration for muscle, which weighs more than fat! My body type is an athletic build so, even at my lowest weight (around 160), I was still considered overweight, even though I was the smallest I've ever been and as fit as I could possibly be! So these numbers are really annoying me right now.  I feel like numbers are telling me I'm not being successful.  How many calories did you eat? How many did you burn?

Here is my fitness manifesto: DO GOOD AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT DOING IT!

Despite what the numbers say, I am going to keep doing what I'm doing to make myself feel better.  Now I'm not saying that 181 (which was my weight in the pictures I took earlier) is a healthy weight for me.  I know it's not. But I can't focus on that number because then it becomes all about that number and less about getting fit the right way.  From a health stand point, you should only lose about 2.5 pounds a week.  And it takes getting used to.  You're not really going to immediately look different but you will FEEL different!  I feel so good on the days that I get in a really good work out.  And the next day? I want to do it again!  So when I do get on the scale, no matter what the number is, I know that I'm still changing.  I'm no loger focused on losing weight as much as losing some area haha. 

Here's an example of how numbers are driving me crazy:  I am currenlty wearing a size 6 jeans that I got at Gap years ago.  Now size 6 at gap will not pull up past my knees.  I tried on a pair of pants (as you will see from Monday's entry) at Target that were size FIFTEEN that fit me.  So how is it that I can wear anything from size 6 to size 15?  Some shirts I currently wear are smalls while sometimes I'll try on a large that will fit me way too tight.  It's enough to make you C-R-A-Z-Y!

So now, off of my numbers rant (because I just needed to get that out!!), here's how yesterday went:

Breakfast - Oatmeal with cinnamon sprinkled in it and a banana mashed up (looooove this breakfast!)
Snack - a handful of Wasabi Soy Almonds - HIGHLY recommend this as a snack!!!
Lunch - Kashi lunch entree (can't remember what it was called) that consisted of plantains, black beans, and a lot of other vegan goodness in it (it's Mayan something Bake, I think, and it's my favorite!)
Snack - cup of clam chowder with a biscuit
Dinner - Kyle and I made pizzas. Mine had pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers, thin crust. And a salad with spinach, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and pears. No dressing (didn't even miss it!)

Now I realize pizza is not the best meal nutrition wise.  That is why I ate the salad first, and then had two small slices of the pizza.  The salad was so good, I probably could have added some more to it and filled up on just that!

As for my work out, I ran with the puppies.  Now I have to admit, my work days have REALLY been draining me this week so I've been a little slack on the work outs.  This was the worst day for that so far because I knew I HAD to do something.

Here's what worked:  I took Sydnie for the first run and did a nice portion of actual running.  I really didn't want to go on the route again, but I can't NOT take my Bongo baby!  So I took Bongo on half of the regular route, then went a different direction to keep things new and mixed up.  Made the walk not-so-bad.  What also worked?  Being creative with a healthy option for my meal.  Look in your cabinets and fridge, see what you have, and throw things together!  You'll be surprised at what you can create!

What didn't work: Negative thinking and numbers.  Maybe weighing myself EVERYDAY isn't working for me.  Maybe I should hide my scale for a little while and just weigh in monthly.  I KNOW I'm making progress because my pants are fitting looser and looser.  I KNOW I'm making progress because I feel so good (and so sore) a lot of the time.  But when it's been a hard day at work, getting home with zapped strength makes me feel less and less like actually working out.  And I keep focusing on how tired I feel.  The thing is, I tell the kids at work everyday: THINK positive, then you will FEEL positive, then you will DO positive! Maybe I should take my own advice??

Now for my next secret weapon:

CHOOSE YOUR SHOES!

Here's the story behind my favorite shoes ever:  I told myself that once I lost 10 pounds I would reward myself with a new pair of shoes.  Then I decided (when I was having trouble dropping the weight) that I needed some running shoes to motivate me and help me lose faster.  THEN I went to Rack Room, where shoes are buy one, get one 1/2 off.  Well, you can't NOT get the second pair! So I got two pairs.  One of which changed my running life:

The reason these shoes work so well for me is because they are toning shoes.  I started out my running only able to run a few feet before I was out of breath.  So even after a long route, my legs felt nothing because I couldn't work them long enough to feel a difference because I had to work up my lung capacity first.  After getting these shoes, I felt EVERY run/walk/jog/trip to Wal-Mart!  I love them so much! They are definitely one of my secret weapons and I even wear them when I'm doing other work outs, like kick boxing or pilates.

Now to end on a positive note: Despite the number, love yourself and you'll want to treat your body right!

Again...

DESPITE THE NUMBER,

LOVE YOURSELF

AND YOU'LL WANT TO TREAT YOUR BODY RIGHT!!!