Day 4/21: Peanut Butter

It is so good. WHY? Why does peanut butter have to be so good?
Everything in moderation, if it fits your container count for the day....right?!

So I just ate 3 small peanut better cookies. I didn't need the cookies and I did not want the cookies, but they were there. And I ate them. I stopped half way through the first cookie and said NOPE, but then hmmmm...somehow I ate THREE!!! This right here is what happens to me. I think about it and I still do it. It is all in the action, which I have been sharing a lot about. So why was the action to continue even when I thought I shouldn't....its like complete opposite of what I am trying to learn and do. I want to speak life over everything I do, positive affirmations, positive thinking, no negative allowed. And yet, I think STOP and I don't.

With that said, I am going to start sharing my food and fitness journal here, it helps me to write it out, and think about where I need to improve my eating. The afternoons are the hardest, hence the early post for today...keep my mind out of the kitchen and on track:

B: Shakeology with blueberries and spinach (I blend it all together and can't taste the spinach!!)
S: 2 hardboiled eggs and a banana
WO: 20 minute HIIT workout from Turbo Fire
L: shrimp, black beans and peppers and 8 tortilla chips and a 1/4 smashed avocado (yep I counted!)
S: rice cake with 5 teaspoons peanut butter....and THEN 3 peanut butter cookies
D: 2C spaghetti squash, 1C homemade turkey marinara and 2 turkey meatballs and a small salad

I am working on my 3rd-32 oz water for the day and will try to have one more. Hot tea before bed.

NO COOKIES TOMORROW.

Day 3/21

DAY ONE....AGAIN.

I love that I have a few people reading this that I would never expect, and when they ask me how day one is going, I smile and thank them. Being reminded that I am doing this publicly is helping. I know I have people in my corner and watching my back. I give FULL permission to people I know to gut check me, ask me how I am doing and offering me the veggie tray instead of the chip bag.

So what am I doing as I go through these 21 days?
I am following a program I believe in 100%, I see success, I have lived the success again and again, but I have not been following it for the last 8 months. And I am living the consequences of that. See I preach it, I know it works, but I have not been doing it myself. I have to forgive myself for not doing as I said I would. Because we all know ACTIONS speak louder than words.

So here I am making change and doing it the way I know is best. I am taking action for the bad eating I have done, more so recently. 21 Day Fix is a program that teaches balanced nutrition with correct portion control by providing a meal plan and containers to measure the amount of each food. It is so simple. And I have recommitted to my containers. That is my first step. So I am taking the time to apologize to myself, accept that I messed up and move forward in the right direction. It also feels so good to be kicking off June like this, a refreshed focus, a clear mind and a set goal. 

Every day has to be day one. The excitement, the energy, the determination to do my very best every single day. I am not looking to drag anyone into this with me, you have to be ready, clearly I wasn't the last few months, but I am now. If you want something different you have to do something different. If you want something new and want to walk this journey with me you can grab your tools right here and we can stay accountable together. 

Goal for tomorrow: Plan food TODAY, pack snacks, DRINK ALL THE WATER.

Day 2/21

"Knowing the facts is easy. Knowing how to act based on the facts is difficult."
-Han Feizi

Day 2 of 21.

It is day two. It was a success.

I am treating everyday like DAY ONE. The energy and the focus. Every step needs to be in the right direction. It is not easy, I don't want it to be. Because it is in the struggle that I find my true north, the path I need to stay the course.

Things to remember:

-Everyone has shit.
-We might impress people with our strengths, but we connect with people through our weakness.

Let's Get Real

I am gaining weight..... not just a few pounds. I have packed on 40 lbs and I need to be real and honest about how that is making me feel. My lowest weight was 190 and it remains my goal weight. Last summer and until December I was only about 20 lbs away from that. Now I am 40. This is the cycle that most people who have weight issues fall into. We fall into this I need to lose 5 lbs and then it turns into 40.

I am going to share my own struggle, but my hope is that someone can relate. It is in sharing our story and struggle that we can have those "ME TOO" moments that connect us. Here is what I attribute to my weight gain:

-complaceny
-allowing a small bump in routine to throw it all off
-"one bad meal, means a bad day"
-"I will refocus on Monday." AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN
- I don't feel good
- I have to work (2 DAYS A WEEK)
- procrastination; sometimes later becomes never

Excuses are well planned lies. Let's be honest.
So here I am feeling like a busted can of biscuits, reminding myself that I need to be kind to myself, but also GETTING PISSED OFF. I know what I did, I know what I am doing, heck even as I am stuffing my face with a million Trader Joes peanut butter pretzels, the perfect combination of sugar and salt, I am messaging my clients about their goals and meal plans.....I KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO and I AM NOT DOING IT!

So the question has to be asked, do I even know WHY I have this issue? And then I pour myself into personal development and I pray about it and I find my answer, my life is so full, my stomach doesn't have to be. See I have an eating disorder, that most people don't think exists, I am an Overeater and I eat when I am not hungry and when I am full and I will sometimes eat until I am physically sick. I thought I had a good handle on this until recently. And now I have been seeing it happen almost daily. I eat when I am happy, sad, stressed, board, and FULL. It is affecting my workouts because I am tired, sluggisha nd well, I don't feel good about who I am.

I have to share this and be vulnerable, because that is what Phat Chances is built on...acountability to do what I said I would. I will be sharing what I do over the next 21 days. Thisis my journal of sorts to myself and to anyone who needs the same kind of help. I am not a professional but I am a person and there have been so many times that I speak with my clients (who really are my Coaches, because they help me more than they will ever know) and we both stop to say "ME TOO".

So here we are DAY ONE, back to BASICS:

-21 Day Fix Eating Plan
-21 Day Fix WORKOUTS
-Accountability here and in my online focus group
-and Shakeology EVERYDAY

SW: 231.9 I hope you will stick around to see how it goes.

PHAT TUESDAY: Millionaire Motivation

by Cara
excerpts from SUCCESS Blog by Jordan Fried

Personal development is more than reading books,  listening to audio or taking this Wellness Coaching course. It is taking what I am learning and putting it into ACTION. It is so easy to learn something and then forget it, or set it to the back burner for when you might need to use that skill or demonstrate the thinking. I have had to put into practice EVERYDAY my ability to maintain and improve my health and fitness. It was a learned behavior that came over time and now is a regular action and mind set.

What makes me different from YOU? This is my greatest question right now. I want to help so many people and yet there is this huge disconnect from what we say we WANT or what we say we will DO and what we actually DO. It is critical to make ourselves do things everyday that we do not want to do, because it is in that that we will find success.

I share a quote often, "If running is hard, run MORE. This applies to everything." So here I am on this quiet morning, starting off my planned personal development, logging in to read from my favorite mentor, Darren Hardy. This includes SUCCESS Blog, and I find that I am reading about Millionaires. Do I want to be a millionaire? Who doesn't?! Do I believe I can be one? No, but that is changing, quickly.

The lessons that are being shared in this short article are things that I have read about before (did I mention Personal Development is something I am doing DAILY) but here are the 9 Lessons from 9 Millionaires, all in one article. And I am FIRED UP. I am ready to do all of these things and more. You can read more in depth from the article, "9 Things I Learned from Talking to 9 Millionaire" by Jordan Fried. (Number 7 is my favorite!)

Lesson 1.You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. Make sure they are the right ones.
Lesson 2. Money in itself will not make you happy. But money can buy you the freedom to do the things that do make you happy. Whether you have $20 or $20 million you can be happy right now.
Lesson 3. Tony Robins said "It's not about the goal. It's about becoming the person that can accomplish the goal." The journey is far more valuable than the destination.
Lesson 4. Get a mentor so you can start growing.  With their advice--you will learn best practices, you'll be challenged, you'll be better prepared to succeed.
Lesson 5. Like to learn. Stay teachable.
Lesson 6. Two (or three or four) income sources are better than one. Be laser focused on one source and once you reach a level of stability then you can diversify.
Lesson 7. Hate the gym? Well, learn to hate it a little less. There is a correlation between breaking down barriers in the gym and breaking them down in your business and in your mind!

Lesson 8. Read--a lot. 
Lesson 9. Write down your experiences. If it moves you in anyway write it down.

There is so much to look at in life and in how we look at our goals. What I have found is the harder I workout the harder I work outside of that. The more confident I am and the harder I push in so many other goals. I will be honest I took last week OFF, like way OFF. No workouts, poor nutrition. And I am feeling it. I feel it on my body and on my mind. As I now try to refocus this week, I am struggling because my mind is not in it. But I just finished 2 workouts and I can feel my head getting back into it.

"If someone was attacking your life, would you be ready?" 

-Shaun T.

Phat Tuesday: PASSION

PASSION.

PASSION: an intense desire or enthusiasm for something

How did I stumble upon that while losing 100 lbs, running half marathons, and eating my weight in chicken? 

One day I just made the decision to change. I don't know how I made that happen, if I did I would share it with everyone. What I did learn is that we all yearn to make a difference. To make an impact on even just one person. After making that difference in myself and sharing it with everyone I knew, there was something that came over me to keep sharing, keep inspiring and motivating. What I didn't realize is that lasting change is actually really freaking hard. I knew this whole journey was the toughest thing I had ever done, there are still days that the battle happening in my head abut what I put in my mouth is the toughest battle I fight. But what is it about me that keeps me going and WHY, WHY can't I help MORE people? 

I once learned from a very good friend that the average woman never accomplishes the things she wants to accomplish. She might talk about it (a lot) she might research it, write out a plan, buy a few things to inspire her to DO it. And then fail to achieve it. More than not she will not do what she said she wanted to do. WHAT?! How is that possible? All that planning, thinking and even preparation and then....nothing. What is it that holds us back? 

"Don't let planning and preparation delay PROGRESS."

My biggest challenge and one I am taking head on to figure out. How do I help the 9-5ers? How do I create a lasting sense of PASSION in people who I know are tired. In the hard working people that really don't have time or energy to meal prep, heck, to even workout. These are the people that I care so very much about and the people I BELIEVE in. I know it is not easy and I know that time is critical. So to the people who are making the steps to change, to trust, and to move forward, I am right here with you. No matter what: KEEP GOING.

Phat Tuesday

Here it is my inaugural Phat Tuesday post.
I have been wanting to do this now for 4 weeks, you know since Fat Tuesday. I found the pun interesting and have had about a thousand thoughts on blogging since. Time on the other hand...

So here I am (reading for my Wellcoaches assignment) and BLOGGING my heart out. Because I have something heavy, so heavy on my heart. REAL. Vulnerable. And I need to share. Because this journey is all about truth.

I feel great. I feel amazing actually. I feel like I just hit a really good stride in my fitness and in my nutrition. I feel like my health issues that are currently being identified as EXCELLENT Cardiovascular Health should not be taken with a grain of salt, but rather celebrated. I was thinking the worst of the worst and here I am in the best cardiovascular health of my life. We will save that for a later post.

Saturday.
I was off to a baby shower. An afternoon with some of the most beautiful women I know and very influential to me as a mother. I consult my dearest friend (Pretty. Funny. Smart) and ask her what I should wear, we decide on a pink tank, black pants and my neon patent sandals that I would wear everywhere if I could. I do myself up, hair, make up, and sandals. And then I look in the mirror..... I over analyze. I look side to side. Front to back. Again and again and again. My arms are so flabby. I shouldn't have ate cheese, I am bloated. And then it hit me like a fucking brick.....will I ever be happy with this body? Will I ever look at it and be proud?

I just finished telling you not only am I apparently medically in excellent shape, but I feel like I am. So WHY AM I DOING THIS? My excess skin will sag. My arms that feel stronger than ever before will have extra skin. Will I ever remove it? NO. Do I want a wrap? Not really.

I want to not think about it. I want to cherish it and love it and never speak badly about it ever again. This journey starts and ends with a single thought. Yes, action is critical, but you have to believe it. You have to want it. So, I shed a tear or two about being so mean to myself and I moved on. With the intentions of never being mean again.