Thank Goodness for Alex My Trainer

I'm so glad Alex was able to snap me into shape this morning in the gym.  He's a great trainer and a great motivator.  He pushes me to worker harder than I think I possibly can.  I'm thankful he's my trainer.

Your Help Is Needed

I'm trying to be a good little blogger, but for some reason I'm hitting a mental/emotional wall.   I'm not sure what to write about.  I'm feeling very frustrated, and I don't really know why.  I'm doing well with my exercising and with my eating, but I'm feeling emotionally bankrupt.  I enjoy reading the blogs of the other heart challenge participants, so please share your feelings regularly on your blog.  I find it easier to dig myself out of my mental hole when I read about your successes (and your disappointments).

It's a Miracle

I finally lost two whole pounds!  It's taken me forever to lose weight.  Highlights from my weekend:

• I ran/jogged 7.1 miles on Saturday.  I feel really great/really strong. 
• I didn't chew gum Sat or Sun, which is really huge for me.
• I only had one Coke Zero this weekend.
• I tried really hard to not only log my food; but to really analyze what I ate over the weekend, which I believe contributed to my scale success.

It's been a great Monday morning so far.  I already went to the gym, so I feel great.  I love seeing several of the heart challenge participants in the gym at the same time as me.  Helps me to remember others are working at it and can symphathize with my plight.

Intuitive Eating Nutrition Class

This week in our nutrition class we talked about intuitive eating, which is a nondiet mentality.  You eat what you want, but you need to really listen to your body's natural hunger fullness scale.  This concept is very foreign to me because I'm so used to eating based on a diet mentality.  My whole life I've been used to being restricted to certain foods, which is probably why I've failed to maintain any kind of weight loss.

Our instructor clearly explained the Dieter's Cycle:

• Desire to be thin
• Go on diet
• Cravings pop up and you have reduced self-control
• Loss of self-control, over eat
• Weight gain or regain occurs

She hit the nail on the head with this explanation.  This is the story of my life.  I'd like to break this cycle.  I really like the concept of intuitive eating .  I want to implement it in my life and to change my psyche; but I'm really afraid I won't be able to change the "food policing", which is ever present inside my mind.

This "Thing" Is Emotional

Looking back at my weekend I can see how this 100 Heart Challenge is very emotional.  On any given day I feel like a success and a failure within a three hour time span:

• I started out my Saturday by stepping on the scale, and I hadn't lost any weight - I felt like a failure. 
• I put on my running shoes and ran my guts out - I felt great by the time I came home. 
• I went to the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday night and had a great time.  My husband and I decided we were going to eat dinner at the concert.  I was going to get a bottled water and a salad with dressing on the side, so I was in control - I felt great.
• I found out the salad was premade and was already coated with dressing - I felt like a failure.
• I didn't eat the chips or the tortilla on my salad and I only drank water - I felt great.
• I let my kids bake a Sunday treat and I only had a bite - I felt great.
• On Sunday I realized I didn't eat my 5 fruits and veggies - I felt like a failure.   

We had a class early this morning to discuss how to succeed beyond the 100 days of the competition.  One of the things we talked about was how emotional our eating and our health really is.  We discussed fear.  The instructor suggested we add another column in our daily trackers and identify our emotions - log why we eat and/or behave the way we do daily.  I really liked this idea.  It was great to be with the other participants and to hear they have similar hopes and fears.

Back from Vacation with a Vengence

I've been gone for a long time, without internet access, so sorry about the lack of posts for a while.  I spent 12 heavenly days in St. George on summer vacation with my family!  The 100 Heart Challenge vacation highlights... I was able to exercise EVERYDAY (but Sunday) while on vacation.  I played a lot of tennis, which was so awesome considering I just had Achilles tendon repair last year.  Now the lowlights...I didn't follow my nutrition plan; I was on vacation and NO ONE wanted to "be on a diet". 

Now I'm back and feeling very commited.  I've had two great workouts this week and my eating has been top notch.  I've been pop free for over 60 hours  - is it obvious I have struggle with a pop addiction?