My little Bit of Honey

I remember when I first started this whole journey, I had this thing where I just needed to see a difference. It was so hard for me to keep going until things started looking and feeling better.  Now that I am about 6 months in (wow, time really flies!) I definitely see and feel a major difference. I know I've posted pictures and somewhat about how I've felt in the past few months, but I don't think I've really given credit to how far I've come. I am my own worst enemy and my own biggest critic, we all are aren't we? I have come very far, I've lost 23 pounds. That is something. That is an accomplishment and something that I can be proud of. Do I have a ways to go? Yes, but 17 pounds is a whole lot better than 40. 17 is doable and feels way more attainable than 40 did when I first started.  As time goes on, I'm noticing not only changes in my appearance but the way that my body feels. The way I react to certain things and how much stronger I feel from w...

The gym can get really, really boring sometimes. No matter how many TVs they put in there, I can never get into any of the shows on there while I'm on the treadmill. How do you keep yourself entertained long enough to put in an hours worth of a work out? It feels impossible sometimes, it's why there are some nights where I Just don't want to go. I've started mixing up my playlists to try and get "pumped" about going to the gym. Tonight, it just isn't working. How do I force myself to look forward to spending an hour of my day working out when it could be much better spent laying around..doing nothing. I look at my calories and realize that I only have 393 left for today, crap. I have to go. Either that or I skip dinner and skipping dinner is NOT happening. So, I must go.  I know that once I get there and get moving I will feel a lot better about it, I will be more motivated once I have my work out clothes on. Right now, it's just not happening. I wis...

Just like everyone else, I have good days and bad days. I have days where I really think that I should just throw in the towel, that it isn't worth it. On these days I feel exhausted, tired of counting calories and tired at the thought of exercise.  I still do it though. On the good days, those are the days where I am energized and feel great about everything I've done and where I've come from. The good part about all of this is that the good days are definitely starting to outweigh the bad days. I'd be lying if I said that any of this had been easy. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel like I wanted to give up and go back to eating whatever I want sometimes, but my progress and my success have kept me going. Last night for instance, I had a work out that wasn't bad. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I had a stressful day at work and all I wanted to do was eat sweets. I wanted something chocolate. However, I had already eaten my dinner (a ...

I am like most people and have quite a few bad habits when it comes to food.  Breaking these habits is not easy and is almost like breaking off a relationship.."Dear Diet Coke..it's not you..it's me..well..actually it is you.." I have been addicted to soda for as long as I can remember, seriously. When I was younger I don't think I even drank water at all, unless I was sick. Even then, it wasn't water it was juice.  I probably drank about 4 cans of soda a day. This is actual, regular coke, mountain dew, jolt (remember that stuff?) etc. I couldn't get enough of the stuff. I refused to drink diet coke or anything else because I just didn't like the taste and thought what's the point? Well as I got older, I started drinking diet coke, coke zero etc. (Not a fan of Pepsi..can you tell??)  instead, trying to save on calories..then I hit a few phases where I told myself  I would give it up for good "No more soda, just water!" well that never l...

Awhile back I posted about a pair of jeans that I own. I have had these jeans for awhile (5 years at least)and probably have only been able to wear them comfortably maybe once.  I had worn them to work a couple weeks ago, but they still had that tight feeling and I was so uncomfortable in them. Well today is Friday and Friday is jeans day. I put those jeans on and I'm so comfortable in them. They are still a bit tight, but they are tight in the right ways. These jeans are a size 8. When I started this whole journey, I was a size 14. My body has made so many changes in the right direction and it's responding so well to exercise.  It just amazes me that this is actually working, that it is actually paying off.  I keep having to remind myself when I try to put on pants that are three sizes too big "those don't fit anymore, they are way to big"  and I get giddy.  I have 18 pounds to go, I am looking forward to the day when these jeans are big on me :) Sid...

Last night after I wrote my blog post on running, I felt motivated. It was my cardio day so I knew I could focus on running only and I was happy about that. One full hour devoted to running, it was perfect. I started slow and kept at an even pace, I usually keep an eye on the mile counter, but not last night. I just went with it. I had to stop for about 5 minutes at the 20 minute and the 45 minute mark due to a serious cramp in my right side. I didn't stop, but I slowed down. So as I got closer and closer to the end I switched to see how many miles I had run (I figured it was around 4) to my surprise it was around 5. Holy cow. When all was said and done I had pretty much ran for an hour and had run 5.50 miles. I really didn't think I could do it, I kept having to remind myself that I've done this before (which was a lie, I had never run past 35 minutes before) and I would run down a check list in my head: Am I breathing? Yes. Does my chest hurt? No. Do I have any sharp pa...

Let's go back about 5 and a half years ago, I was a walker. I loved it. I would grab my first generation iPod (remember the one with the turny wheel on it? Yep. That one) and go out and just walk. I used to walk every day about 4 miles a day after work, day or night. I loved it.  I didn't care how cold it was or how hot, as long as I was out there.  I never thought of running, I always said to people "I can't run, I have asthma" or "I get shin splints which make it impossible to run longer than 5 minutes". Fast forward to today, I can run for 35 minutes straight on the treadmill, I can run for 3 miles. Straight. How the heck did I end up here? Honestly, I don't know where it came from. I don't know where I got this strength from to keep going even though it hurts.  I have said this before and I will say it again, I hate running. No really, I do!  I hate it while I'm doing it and every second I have to remind myself that I've done this b...

I survived the Blizzard of 2013! Hooray! We had quite the awful snowstorm here in MA and a lot of people are still without power in many areas. It's a scary situation to be in, so I am very thankful that we were able to stay warm during the storm.  Today I decided to write a little bit about why support is so important when you are trying to lose weight. Since the beginning of this journey I have said that I am doing it for myself. Which, I am. Mostly. I can't say that I'm not doing it for my husband at all, because I am doing it for him, even if it's only a small part of why I am doing it. I am also doing it for my future children, if I had continued on with the way I was, by the time I had kids I would have weighed over 200 pounds. For me, that's a scary thought. I have been successful with this because of the support I have gotten. My husband, my family and my friends have been there for me, like my own personal cheering squad. Every time I want to give in and ...

For as long as I can remember I have had a certain routine when I go to the gym. I jump on the treadmill for about 40 minutes, then I move on to the circuit machines. This has been what I have done for as long as I have been going to the gym. Didn't matter which gym I was in, I had my routine. Well, today the routine is about to change. I'm not seeing as much change in my body as I'd like and it's become clear to me that I have to change my workout routine and that maybe, just maybe all those trainers are right. Cardio isn't everything.  Sure, it helps you burn calories but what about building muscle? How are you doing that ( Other then in your legs, because when I start to run my legs start to look wider).  I talked to a friend awhile ago and he suggested Bodybuilding.com he had started doing it and had been getting results. I had said I was going to start and had the full intentions to, until I got to the gym. I shyly went over to the weight lifting area and qui...