Sunday, March 30, 2008

Back From The Beach And Needing Motivation

Well, we are back from the beach. It was pretty chilly except for two days where we actually got a little bit of sun. We had a great Easter with my mom and the girls and a good time overall except for one thing...putting on that bathing suit. Every year it's the same thing when I unveil the pasty whiteness. I'm disgusted. This year is particularly bad because I could only fit into one pair of shorts that I own and they were tight. My fat jeans are tight for crying out loud. Now, this is not me saying I'm a big fat whale. This is me saying I either have to lose weight or buy a new summer wardrobe. And I will NOT buy a new summer wardrobe.

I wrote an earlier post about an episode of PRIMETIME where some people lost weight because otherwise they faced the threat of their spandex photos being shown on national television. Jeff and I came up with a credible threat of our own and I lost the weight last year. I kept it off for about 3 months only to go on a couple of great vacations in the summer and send myself spiraling back into tight jeans. I also recently wrote a post on gluttony and while I have been less of a glutton on most days (not including of course my vacation on the beach...why is this always my excuse?), it hasn't been enough to lose weight.

So I was pondering this as Jeff and I walked down St. George Street in St. Augustine and Jeff had a great idea! What if this time, he could offer a credible reward? I couldn't imagine something he could offer that wouldn't be something I could give myself or be cost prohibitive. But he did! Now just to make it more fun I'm going to keep my reward a secret until I receive it but it's goooooood. So I have my motivation and I'm ready to go. I started yesterday with Slim Fast. Slim Fast is hard to do but it's very clear cut and I'm hoping to do it for two weeks in order to jump start the process. I'm going to have to really exercise this time as all my previous weight plus five extra pounds came back. I have eight weeks to undo as much damage as possible in order to get my reward. I do wish it was as easy to develop good eating habits as it is to go back to bad ones. I wish it was as easy to exercise as it is to stop. I wish broccoli tasted like chocolate cake. I wish, I wish, I wish.

Anyway, I'd love for you to share two things:

1. Your best diet/exercise tip for getting started and staying motivated.
2. Any scripture or quote that is inspiring and motivating towards this goal.

Please don't try to give me any of your leftover easter candy. Don't invite me to chik-fil-a for the next eight weeks. And if you catch me consuming a Starbucks peppermint mocha...feel free to give me that "look". Let me know if you have a weight loss goal in mind yourself. Memorial day weekend is eight weeks from now. Anyone want to join me on this quest?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Make exercise a regular part of your day where it's hard to actually NOT do it. That is the biggest thing that helped me. I no longer had to try to figure out how to fit it in. It's as much a part of my day as eating breakfast or taking a shower...once you start with a routine like that it's much easier to really stick it out.

I'm with you on the motivation factor. It's been cloudy and rainy ever since we got home from the beach and I'm about to go CRAZY!

Montee said...

Okay Tracy,
I agree with heinzfeet. You need to make your exercise a part of your day like brushing your teeth. Pick a time of day and make that your time. I swear it will become habit. I always do it in the mornings and get it over with. I don't exercise as much in the winter which is when I eat more so I need to. I think the gloomy weather makes me lazy. I know you have the girls. Heck, you could incorporate them during the day in some exercise. Fast walk with them in a wagon or big stroller. I used to teach my two some lessons while walking them in the stroller. "Hey, see that mashed frog on the road? That's what you will look like if you play in the street." Good stuff like that. I also used them for weight lifting. Lie on your back. Feet on the floor with bent knees. Have one of the girls lean against your shins and bring the shins and feet up, lifting your "weights". The kids love it and it's good for your lower body. Also, if you need a break from working out, take it. Change up and do different things. Don't get bored. As far as inspiration. Mmmmm. Giselle and the little baseball wives I see every summer. Naw, really my health and to take care of what the good Lord gave me. Giselle is pretty good inspiration though.

Montee said...

I forgot this little story after I saw that Jeff was offering a reward. My friend Rhonda's husband said if he did not lose a certain amount of weight, he would buy Rhonda a Hummer. Let's just say, I ride in that Hummer quite a bit.

Anonymous said...

i don't have much advice...but i will try. your battle will be won at the grocery store...only buy the healthy stuff. don't think as much about diet as much as getting all the healthy nutrients you need in a day for energy. if we drank as much water and ate the daily servings of fruits and veggies we are recommended to then it would be much easier for all of us. my scripture..."no discipline seems pleasant at the time.." i can't wait to find out what your surprise is!

i wanted to say hi to montee! i saw your comments on my blog and sent them to spam...but then i came over here and saw you...whew...i retrieved them. i even thought you made it up about knowing tracy...ha! so sorry! thanks for saying hi!

Montee said...

Yes, I am posting here again. I agree with Carrie on the things you buy at the grocery. I also keep plenty of fruits sitting around and grab those instead of a cookie. If I do have a chocolate or sweet craving, I may just break a cookie in half and eat the half, putting the other half in the cookie jar. Also, sometimes I make my self a glass of chocolate milk. I add some chocolate syrup to my 1% milk and that way I am getting a dose of calcium too. Do not deprive yourself totally of a little bit of sweet and always remember this saying, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."

That's okay Carrie! Hi!

Jenny Neeley said...

Come back to Jazzercise! Anna Kate would love for the girls to join her. We’re there 2, maybe 3 times a week. That’s doing it for me. Cardio is the thing that got that fat off that Pilates could only hope to do (although I do love Pilates and it helped tremendously post-pregnancy).