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! :)