Mind, Body and Soul Manifestations

I'm finally starting to notice the results of my hard work. I know that I had lost inches and lbs before, but my clothes are actually starting to feel a little loose! It makes me so happy to finally be able to feel the results of all of this. I have to be honest, my eating habits have not been perfect, but I think that the working out is definitely helping me to stay on track. The only problem I'm having is that now I need some new clothes and money is a bit of an issue. Oh well, that's a good problem to have :-) I'll just throw on a belt and go with it! I can't wait to try on my wedding dress again to see if I need to get it taken in. That would definitely be another confidence booster. I hope all of you are trying to keep yourselves healthy as well!

Well, our last day of school for the 2012-2013 school year was yesterday. I am somewhat relieved to be done with this year, but am also feeling a little bummed that I'm still working and taking classes this summer. I know I will have more time to myself and more time to concentrate on my school work, so that's good I suppose. Summers were so much more fun when my friends were also off or around! Speaking of friends, according to my Dr, I need to do more social things to improve my mood. So...any of you guys who also find yourself with some "free time," feel free to hit me up. The hard thing is trying to be social without spending money. Any of you who would like to work out together or take a hike together or do anything other than eat or drink at a restaurant, let's make a date! I definitely do think that I will miss the social aspect of working out with my trainer. It's nice to have someone to motivate you and chat with you while you're working out. It...

It's been quite a while since I've had time to post! I've been so busy with teaching, working part time, giving art lessons and grad school that I haven't had much time to breathe. I have, however, been keeping up with my training. My trainer is awesome and she has really helped me stay accountable and motivated. I found out that she will be leaving me in 3 weeks for Florida...permanently! While my wallet will be happy, I will have to find a way to keep up with my workouts and be accountable to myself. I believe that if I write down when I will work out in my planner, like I have with my training sessions, I can do it! I am so happy that school is ending soon for the summer...well, for 2 months anyway. I will be taking classes, but at least I will generally have my days free to work out and eat healthy! I've lost 1 inch off of my abdomen and 1 inch off of my thighs since starting. According to my scale, I have lost about 3 pounds. I'm hoping to get the official ...

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm not sure if you missed me or not, but I feel like I need to address an issue I've been pondering. I keep seeing and hearing about all of these weight loss solutions: Weight Watchers, Isogenix, HerbaLife...I could go on. I have seen so many people have amazing results with these methods, but I just can't help but wonder what happens when/if you stop. I'm seeing amazing before and after pictures and I can't help but wonder if I switched out my grilled chicken for vegetable-based protein shakes at dinner if I'd be doing myself a favor; but, that's just not reality for me. I have never been able to stick to something that limits what I eat. I never could stick to weight watchers because it was too much trouble to account for every single morsel of food and calculate points for improvised recipes. I have not been perfect at tracking what I'm eating lately, but I've also been insanely busy. (Class ends this Wedne...

I'm finally starting to notice a change in myself this week. I had my first weigh-in with my trainer today and I am happy to say that I have lost a little over a pound AND 2.6lbs of body fat! That was the biggest goal...to lose the fat! When someone tells you that your body is 41% body fat, that is terrifying. (It's even scarier to share it with all of you; however, I think it's an important thing to know about yourself and I can honestly say that I am making changes to improve this factor in my life.) In 6 sessions of personal training and 3 weeks of working out, I have dropped 1% body fat and 1lb. While that is slower than I'd like, I'm just happy to see some progress! I know this weekend will be a challenge because Ben and I are going out of town and it's Easter, but I'm going to try to make good choices food-wise and squeeze in workouts when I can. I'm praying for nice weather so I can get outside! I can't wait until next week because I'm off...

So, today Ben and I went to Bob Evans for breakfast with my family and then did a "Taste of Solomons" this afternoon. I picked what I thought were healthy choices: a garden harvest omelette full of veggies (which I only ate half of), home fries (only ate half of these too), coffee...but the biscuits were what did me in. Who knew those things were almost 300 calories a piece! Yikes! (I'm not gonna lie though, they tasted amazing.) Then, at the Solomons restaurants, the "Tastes" were small portions and I didn't think I was consuming too many calories. I've been trying to keep my calories at or under 2,000 per day. I definitely went over a bit. However, I do remember that when you don't know exactly what goes into things, it's super hard to estimate calories. Today was the first "free" day I've had in weeks, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I just have to keep in mind that I should keep eating out to a minimum and try t...

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Life has been pretty hectic! I know I don't have kids and I'm not married yet, but working 2 jobs, giving art lessons and trying to finish my Masters program are sucking up most of my time. I have been committed to my trainer at the gym though. I've done about 4 workouts with her so far and I've managed to squeeze in a few on my own. I'm noticing a shift in my thinking since I've actually stuck with my workouts. Before, when I got home from work or school I would snack or have a cocktail and I didn't put much thought into what I was eating for dinner. While I'm by no means "perfect" in my eating habits, I think I'm improving. I'm trying really hard to actually think about what I'm putting in my mouth. I don't want to ruin all of the hard work I'm doing at the gym. I'm also motivated by my wedding and my other friends who seem to be shrinking or continuing on a healthier...