QotW: "If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got." ~Anonymous

Quote Of The Week: "If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got."  ~Anonymous

So my fiance made fun of me for having two sports quotes in a row. I honestly had no idea that they were both sports quotes. I guess I didn't pay enough attention when picking them. Haha. Well, to satisfy him, this week's quote has no attributed author.

This quote really rings true. We all know how we got to be where we are today. We all can place blame on some unhealthy habit for making us sluggish or overweight. We have to put that behind us and move forward onto creating good habits to change the way we feel. If we continue on with bad habits we know exactly where we will end up - right where we are now (or worse). If we change our habits, life can only get better.

So, this week I have a little activity for you. On a sheet of paper, I want you to make a list of bad habits you've had that led you to where you are now. Mine are:

- eating late at night
- overeating
- having too much dessert
- watching tv instead of exercising
- being lazy

...you get the point. On the other side of the paper, I want you to make a list of good habits that you're trying to get into the habit of. Mine are:

- walking more
- eating less junk
- treating myself to GOOD dessert, and not just any sweet I feel like at the moment
- eating more fruits and veggies
- trying to get moving more

You can easily see the different between the two sides. Underneath each of the lists, write how you felt after doing those activities. So, for me, under the bad habits side I would write: "unhealthy, fat, bloated, lazy, tired, etc." and under the healthier habits side, I would write: "energetic, lighter, less self-conscious, happier, etc."

Post this somewhere where you can see it. It might just help keep you motivated! :) Have a great week!

QotW: "If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end." - Julius Erving

Quote of the Week: "If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end." - Julius Erving

Not much else to be said this week. It prettymuch says itself.

QotW: "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up." ~ Vince Lombardi

Quote of the Week: "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up." ~ Vince Lombardi

So this morning I went to weigh myself. I was excited. I had been following my diet (aka not binge eating, and eating relatively healthy), I had been exercising every other day, despite having one of the most stressful and work-heavy weeks at school and work in least a year. I even had to pull an all-nighter (which I used to use as an excuse to binge). Before an all-nighter meant coffee and energy drinks, sugary sweets to "keep up" the sugar high and hyperness, and lots of soda in between. I was so proud of myself that this all-nighter went by with only two large cups of black coffee, a few low-calorie snacks, and no sugary sweets. 

So yesterday, after a long hard week I decided it was OK to indulge in a little dessert from my Valentine's Day gifts. So I did. I had one of those large Reese's Hearts (totaling 720 calories in case you were curious), after which I had a very light veggie-only dinner, and followed that up with 90 minutes on the elliptical (usually I do 60-70 minutes) to "make up for it" since I felt kind of guilty.

And today, Monday, my weigh-in day, I got on the scale and.... nothing. My weight did not budge even .1 of a pound since last week.

Now logically, I know that there could be many reasons for not losing anything. Stress can make you retain water, so maybe that's why. Maybe the sugar from the treat I had made me bloat since I've been very good about not having too much sweets. Maybe in my attempt to "undo" the dessert, I overdid it on the elliptical and am retaining water because my muscles hurt. Maybe I just really really need to poop. Who knows? I logically know I've been working hard, and that one treat won't undo an entire week of good work.

Emotionally, on the other hand, I'm crying and screaming and throwing a fit. I can't believe I let myself indulge. Why would I feel I deserved a treat? I'm not skinny yet. I could have worked harder this week. I start to doubt my healthy eating. I start to feel defeated. I think many of you know this downtrodden, depressed feeling. I feel hopeless. And, since most of you know I have quite the emotional eating problem, I feel like digging into a tub of cheesecake filling and giving up.

I know I can't give up. Despite the negative emotions running through my head, I need to stick to logic and positive thoughts.

This week's quote is a way to try to inspire me to look past the number and keep on doing what I know I've been doing right.

Do any of you ever feel like this?

QotW: Dreams don't work unless you do!

Quote of the week: "Dreams don't work unless you do!"

Get working, sitting on your bum dreaming about a better healthier you can't get you anywhere. Want to achieve your dreams? Work towards your goals.

Quote of the Week: "If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough." –Oprah Winfrey

Quote of the Week: "If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough." –Oprah Winfrey

So this past week was *that week* (ladies, you know). So, with bloating, I gained five pounds, despite having exercised five times, and eating correctly (with the exception of two pieces of candy- which in reality were nothing compared to how I was eating before). But you know what? It's life. Sometimes, you might not lose the weight you worked for. And, sometimes you body just wants to hold onto extra water (Damn you, Aunt Flo!). Don't beat yourself up about it. Move on, keep working for your goal. In the end, you doing the right thing will work out. If you give up, you'll never win.

Setting that little pep talk for myself aside, time to talk about this week's quote...

I like this one, in terms of life and of weight loss. Too many people (myself included) always focus on what we don't have. For example, I focus on the fact I don't have a thin stomach like most people my age do, or that I can't run like I would like to, or that I don't have a nice nose. It's hard, but I've been trying to silence my inner "negative Nancy" by focusing on what I do have: I have legs even my fit friends envy, I have long beautiful hair that I get compliments for, and I'm lucky to not be ill or suffer from diabetes (trust me- my bad-eating was BAD).

This week I want you to put aside all the things you hate about yourself and your life, and stop thinking about what you don't have. Instead, focus on what you do have. 

I want each of you to make a list of 5-10 things you have or that you like about yourself. 

You can post it here in the comments or on the Facebook page if you'd like, but most importantly I want you to write it out (or type it) and post it somewhere where you can see. Put in on your mirror in the bathroom, your bedroom door, by your desk at work, wherever. Just make sure that you can see it every day.

Focus on the positive! :)

QotW: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao-tzu

Quote of the Week: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao-tzu

So, I've been working kinda hard on "me." The last few weeks. I've been making non-numerical goals every week and trying my best to be healthier, and be less focused on the numbers. This past week I went down 5.3 pounds! :)

So, I figured in celebration I would try to share some of my motivation with you guys.

I have a big whiteboard in my room, on which I've written many things to keep myself motivated. I have it in a place that I can't help but glance at when I'm in my room, entering or exiting. I have a two lists, one which includes my high weight, current weight, and goal weight, and the other which includes my change for the week and my goal of the week. That's all great for keeping me focused and reminding myself that I never want to go backwards. But, my favourite part of my board is my "quote of the week!"

I know it sounds silly, and kind of pre-school-ish to give myself a quote every week to aspire to, but it helps me. Monday is my weigh-in day, so on Sunday night is when I re-do my board - writing a new goal for the week (fyi: this week's goal is to do four work-outs, despite my hectic schedule, because last week was less busy and I blew my goal of "go on the elliptical one time" right out of the water by going on it four times and doing a kickboxing workout with my fiance!), and then I look up and pick a quote of the week.

This week I was just feeling it with this quote my Lao-tzu.So, I figured I'd share. (And I'll continue trying to share my quote every week, but I make no promises since this is about ME first and foremost, and I have a lot of stuff on my plate like unpacking from my recent move, catching up on work for my two bosses, and completing my thesis this semester....oh, and classes too of course.)

If your journey beings with the next step, where are you taking yourself?

(Feel free to respond in your head, or in the comments. I love feedback! :] )