Ch-ch-ch-changes

One of the many challenges with losing weight, is that every person and situation is different. Even for one single person, situations and moods change - and you have to be willing to be flexible and make changes in your routine as needed, in order to grow with your environment or battle the current hurdles you face.

When I first started my journey, I was working a ton of overtime. Generally my work weeks were about 60-70 hours. Plus of course, I also have 2 young kids as well as a husband who also worked extra hours in addition to the regular 40. Making time and prioritizing were not easy, but I figured it out.

Then things changed. The overtime died down. But I started Grad School. This kept me busy too, but at different times and in different ways. That affected the approach I took and the routine I had.

Then things changed again (imagine that). We moved because my husband had a job offer he could not refuse, for what was basically his dream job. I quit my old job and stayed home with my younger daughter (the older is in Kindergarten) while I looked for something new. Being a stay at home mom brought with it altogether new challenges. While I now had time for working out like never before, I also now had constant access to all the food in the house.

Through it all, I've been able to adjust, and that is part of why I feel I've been successful. Even when it took a few weeks, I was able to adjust and continue down the path to success. I know there are people who thought, oh of course you lost weight, you worked 70 hours a week and never had time to EAT! Or, of course your losing weight, you go to the gym 5 days a week because you are a stay at home mom. Well, yes. But that is not the only thing there is to it, and throughout all these various life circumstances I have shown that I can do it. I will do what it takes to make it work, even when it's not easy - which it almost NEVER is!

And now, I am about to embark on yet another big change - I officially have a new job! I start next Wednesday. So now, I am going from stay at home mom, back to working mom. And I've been a working mom before, but that was a very different place and a different environment - this will be an all new environment and culture to get used to. My old work had 1000 people in my building, and the company employs 90,000 people. A big company, right?  My new company is small. Not "tiny", but the numbers are in the 100's instead of 1000's, and most of them are not in the office I will be in. This "small office" thing will be totally new to me. No more onsite Cafe' with great healthy choices available. So, I am going to have to adjust all over again, to a new environment, culture and situation - and figure out how to adjust so that I can continue to be successful in my weight loss/maintenance.

Taking requests

I post frequently about motivation, honesty, blah blah blah. This is great stuff. Stuff I am passionate about. These are the things that I believe are key components of healthy, successful weight loss.

But today I ask, what would YOU like to see me post about? Do you have any suggestions or burning questions? No need to be shy. You can even post your comment anonymously. You can shoot me a private message on Facebook. 

I just want ideas and suggestions. I started this blog as a tool for my own weight loss, but it has become much more than that. It is still an essential part of my success, because it keeps me focused and accountable. But now, it has grown into a vehicle for inspiration. I have an audience, and I am quite excited about the idea of being able to help others. I personally LOVE following other people's journeys and reading about their success. There are SO many amazing stories out there - each one unique and with it's own set of circumstances, struggles, and knowledge gained - and I feel a real pull to make sure my own story is included among them.

So please. Ask away. If there is a subject you want me to tackle with my honest opinion and experience, let me know. I will answer just about anything to the best of my ability - keeping in mind I am no professional. Just a person who has had some success, struggles and is willing to share.

Diets, shakes, and weight loss "fads".

Disclaimer: I am not putting you down if you have tried or are currently trying any of these things. I do realize weight loss is not a one size fits all sort of thing. I am also not saying I am perfect - I obviously am NOT, as illustrated by my constant battle with weight since forever ago - not to mention the fact that nobody is perfect, anyhow. This is just my personal opinion.



Weight loss...shakes, fad diets, pills, HCG. Holy crap there is a lot of that floating around out there, and it's no wonder why, with obesity statistics the way they are. I can totally understand how it feels to be grasping at straws; at any potential quick fix or hoping that this could finally be the magic bullet that works for me.

But let's not play games or pretend. Many of these methods lead to short term weight loss, but NOT long term success. Why is that? Because who wants to drink a shake in place of breakfast every day for the rest of your life?! How sustainable is that? Sure, it's great to kick start weight loss, because you are cutting calories. But the same thing could be done simply through replacing some of your "less healthy" foods, with more healthy ones - and that, to me, is way more sustainable and enjoyable.

I'm telling you - LIFESTYLE CHANGE is where it is at. It's hard, yes. But it's TOTALLY WORTH the extra effort and time. 

A quarter

If I had a penny for every pound I have lost....I would now have a whole quarter :-)

I am SO excited, and I did a little experiment to get there so I am glad that I have increased my knowledge. I found through trial and error that I am more likely to lose weight after days that I eat more calories (not a ton, but more, and healthy). On days that I have tried to be super strict, I am more likely to just stay the same. That isn't always the case, but it does seem to be a little of a trend. I imagine that with my exercise, my metabolism has improved and it takes a few more calories to fuel my body now. When I don't eat enough calories to compensate, the pounds all talk to each other saying "screw this, let's hold on for dear life, she NEEDS us, she is starving!"

At least, this is my theory.