WIIFM (What's in it for me?)

When I worked at Career Quest as an Administrative Assistant we had an all employee conference.  That is where I learned about WIIFM (pronounced whif im)  What's in it for me?  I think the same thing applies when we begin a new workout or diet program. 

For me the WIIFM was to feel healthy and happy with myself.  I really didn't like how I felt when I was so heavy.  Maybe for you it's to lower your cholesterol or to get rid of pre-diabetes.  Or maybe it's to feel pretty again.  Whatever it is you need to find out what your WIIFM is.  Once you do there's no going back.  Focus on it.  When you don't feel like working out or you want that donut sitting in the break room at work remember your WIIFM.  When I don't want to workout I think back to how I felt when I was heavier and then I remember that I don't ever want to feel like that again.

Recently I hit a plateau.  It's so frustrating.  I added to my workouts.  Working out twice as hard as I was.  I've been doing really well with eating right.  I've had thoughts about eating the chocolate that my husband brings home.  But I have WIIFM.  I have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat.  I can't give up now.  I've got my eye on the prize.  So I'll keep plugging away and I know that eventually I'll get on the scale and there WILL be a weight loss. 

Everyone will hit a plateau at some point in their weight loss journey.  When it happens you can't give up!  Think about how far you have come.  I would love to hear from you.  What kind of things do you do to help get over a plateau?  Have you ever had thoughts of giving up when the scale wouldn't budge? 

Goals, Rewards, and a Positive Attitude.

Do you set goals?  Do you reward yourself?  If so, how do you reward yourself? 

To make a goal a reality you should begin by writing it down.  That's why I started posting all of my workouts on facebook.  I wanted to hold myself accountable.  If you don't write down your goals you may not reach them as quickly or at all.  Facebook was a great way for me to let all of my family and friends know that I was going to do this.  I was going to reach my goals! 

So you reached that first goal.  How do you reward yourself?  I have rewarded myself in a few different ways.  I bought a new workout program for myself.  This was a great reward!  It helped me to take my workout to the next level.  I purchased some new clothes.  This is a great reminder that you are doing it!  You are shrinking your body.  It's such a wonderful feeling to put a smaller top on and have it fit.  Or a new pair of jeans that are a size smaller and you can pull them up over your hips and button them. One other way that I have rewarded myself is I have bought new workout clothes.  This is another great reward because it's only going to motivate you further to workout.  I personally believe that if you feel good in your workout clothes you will workout even harder.  In the future I plan to reward myself with a pedicure and a massage.  You should NEVER reward yourself with food.  That is not a good thing to do.

Last but not least you should always have a positive attitude.  I know this can sometimes be difficult but it is incredibly important.  You are not going to lose weight over night.  You should never get down on yourself or give up.  Do your best to tell yourself that YOU CAN DO IT!  Because I believe that you really can do it.  There's nothing I dislike more than somebody who is a "Negative Nelly".  Nobody and I mean nobody wants to be around a person like that. 

So remember write down your goals, reward yourself, and keep a positive attitude. 

Just Push Play

Ever have a day you don't feel like working out?  You're tired and you just don't have the energy.  That is exactly how I am feeling right now.  My girls are not feeling well and I spent most of the morning in Urgent Care getting them diagnosed.  Turns out they both have pink eye and sore throats too.  So I've been listening to a lot of whining and crying.  I just feel like I don't have enough energy to drag myself off of the couch and "push play".  I must though.  Nobody ever gets anywhere sitting around and doing nothing.  That is not how I lost 53lbs. 

I know that working out will give me extra energy.  I will feel so much better after I workout.  Today is a big day with ChaLEAN Extreme.  It's weightlifting day.  So I really can't miss it.  Here I go!

It really is true.  You feel so much better after you workout.  I really pushed myself today.  Not only did I do Burn Circuit 3 (which is the weightlifting).  I also did Fat Burn Challenge (which is some intense cardio).  I'm so proud of myself for telling myself that I had to workout and for "pushing play". 

I hope all of you get your workouts in today.  Thanks for reading my blog.

A Helpful Hint or Two

When you have little kids it can make losing weight some what challenging.  One thing I started to notice myself doing was eating what my daughter Evie  left on her plate.  It would drive me nuts that she could leave so much left over.  I would finish it for her.  This is a HUGE no no.  It's hard to do but I finally started walking her plate over to the trash can and scraping off what was left. I don't need to put all of those extra calories into my body.  After I started to do that I noticed that the scale started moving again.  Sometimes you need to step back and see what you're actually doing.  It's so easy to sabotage yourself without even realizing it. 

Another trick that I find works for me is posting a picture of yourself at your thinnest on the refrigerator. I have a picture of myself from when I was 17.  One of the thinnest moments in my life. I posted this picture on my refrigerator.  That way when I feel like I need a snack I go to the refrigerator and see that picture.  It makes me think twice about what I pick for a snack.  Sometimes I just walk away from it altogether.  It's a nice little reminder of what you're working towards.

This is the picture of myself that I have on my refrigerator.  Laugh all you want but if this isn't motivation I don't know what is.  Obviously after having two children my stomach will never look like that again. But it does the job of keeping me away from the unhealthy snacks when I am having a "moment".

I was having cravings for chocolate.  Yummy, sweet, delicious chocolate.  My husband likes to bring chocolate home for himself.  One problem, I would find it and eat it.  So I decided that I needed to find something healthier to satisfy my craving.  Low and behold Beachbody had the answer I was looking for.  A chocolate shake.  Shakeology!  I decided to give it a try.  It's not only healthy for you it's absolutely delicious!  Plus there are so many wonderful things that Shakeology can do for you.  It can help you lose weight by filling you up and reducing your cravings.  It helps you to feel energized, improves digestion, and it can actually help lower your chloesterol. For me it truly is a lifesaver! 

What about you?  Do you have any helpful hints about weight loss that you would like to share?  Is there a product you just can't live without?

I really am a work in progress.  I have been working on myself for the last 9 months.  I mean REALLY and truly trying to change my "lifestyle". 
After I had my second daughter in April I felt huge.  I had a hard time keeping up with my 2 year old and now I had an infant to take care of as well.  I was unhappy with how I had let myself go.  Working as an Administrative Assistant while I was pregnant didn't help matters either.  I sat all day and when you work in an office people tend to bring in snacks.  Not healthy snacks but donuts, cakes, and muffins. I was pregnant and I thought, "Oh well, I'm going to gain weight anyway." "I might as well enjoy myself."  Enjoy myself I did.  The day I gave birth to Hailey (my second baby) I had NEVER weighed so much in my whole life.  I was secretly hoping that she weighed 50lbs.  That was wishful thinking.  After I gave birth to her and came home I jumped on the scale.  Panic started to set in.  How in the world was I going to lose all this weight?  I started to diet.  The scale wouldn't budge.  Curse you donuts, cakes, and potato chips! 
Two of my friends (a mother and daughter team) Sally and Alicia had become Beachbody coaches while I was pregnant.  After seeing their before and after pictures I decided to try one of the workout programs.  The first one I chose for myself was Hip Hop Abs.  I LOVED it!  It was like dance.  I didn't even feel like I was working out.  There were so many dvds how was I ever going to get bored?  I started to eat healthier too.  Salads and chicken became a staple in my household.  Slowly I started to add beef and pork back into my diet.  The scale was starting to budge and then it started sliding.  YAY!  I was finally getting somewhere. 
Sally and Alicia talked me into becoming a Beachbody coach in November.  After I became a coach I decided to try another workout program.  I picked ChaLEAN Extreme.  I am still using this program.  I love the strength training.  I love hearing Chalene say, "Muscle burns fat."  There's something empowering about it to me. 
I hope you'll follow me on my journey of becoming fit and healthy.  I promised my best friend Stacey that this wouldn't just be a blog about fitness updates but things about my personal life as well.  She told me that she likes reading personal things.  I'll do my best to throw some of that in my blogs too.

What's your story?  Are you on the path to weight loss?  Do you exercise regularly?  I would love to hear what your thoughts are on "lifestyle" changes.