Obstacles and Excuses: Goal Setting

Shivers. The idea of goal setting sends shivers down my spine. It is a major block for me, if you can't tell. Last time I wrote in this blog I set a goal to stay within my calorie count for 1 whole week. NO MATTER WHAT. It was a lofty goal and not only did I not achieve it, but it put me in a place that has taken me months to get back to the point where I want to blog about weight loss again.

For some reason the setting of a goal, making something a task, immediately puts me in the mindset that I don't want to do it. EVEN IF IT IS SOMETHING I LOVE. For instance, I could set a goal to go to Disneyland every day this week. And since I made it my goal, I bet you by day 3 I would be dreading going. I would HATE it, because it is now a requirement, a task. Something I HAVE to do rather than something I WANT to do. And I spent a good part of my life avoiding doing anything I feel like I HAVE to do. It's a major issue in my life, not just with food, but with exercise, school, church, and any other area in life I may want to set my goals in.

So what is the answer? Where is the switch in my brain that I flip, the Jedi Mind Trick I play on myself so I can believe this is fun?

Here are a few things that help:

1. I LOVE trying out new recipes. I have purchased multiple healthy cookbooks. From Weight Watchers to Cooking light I have an endless supply of new recipes to try. One of my favorites is the 5 ingredient 15 minute recipes from cooking light. It usually comes in magazine form and has many incarnations.



Pinterest has also been a really fun place to find great healthy recipes. The fun part for me is that instead of calorie counting I am simply trying something new and I am ALL about trying new things. It just so happens that these new things are healthy for me.

2. Cool technology. Never have I been so motivated to go running as when I bought my iPhone and found out it had a really cool running app on it. The app tracks how far, how fast, and how long I run. It pulls the music from my phone (using a playlist of my choice) and starts the music when I start the workout. Then when the workout it over, I can compare this workout with my previous workouts. So not only have I found yet another way to be using my phone as much as possible, I find it super motivating to see that today I did my 3.5 mile loop 43 seconds faster than I did it last time.



3. Nice weather. I hate being stuck inside in the summertime so much, that when it is actually cool enough to go outside I find it a shame to stay inside and be lazy. Phoenix has so many great places to go hiking. The neighborhoods have beautiful walking paths and sidewalks that make for pleasant runs.



So you see, I have some fun ways to stay healthy without making things too goal oriented. But is it enough to provide for some real weight loss? What makes weightloss fun for you?

Obstacles and Excuses - Portion Control

I love to eat. LOVE IT. Seriously you guys. I love it. Remember how last week my goal was to track? Well I did it. I achieved my goal. I succesfully tracked myself eating almost 1,000 calories a day over my calorie goal. I found I made an exception for everything. Tuesday night was happy hour with friends so it was ok for me to have a few drinks and TONS of chips and salsa along with a monster taco salad. Wednesday night was family night at Vertuccio farms and of course we had to go to Costa Vida aferwards and of course I had to eat the whole salad with the creamy ranch dressing. The whole week was filled with food food food. And each time I found an excuse as to why it was ok for me to overeat just. this. once. The sad part is, this was a typical week for me. There is always fun stuff going on and it almost always revolves around food.

So, new goal for the week. As of today, I will track everything I eat again this week. BUT, my goal is to also stay within my 1500 calorie limit. FOR ONE WHOLE WEEK. Eek! Did I want to take it back as soon as I wrote it down? YES! But I can't. It's out there in blog land now.

I can already see a few obstacles in my way. For instance, this weekend is a cabin trip with some friends. I am sure there will be chips, candy, burgers, and all sorts of other unhealthy things available to eat. But it will still be possible. Right? I'll make it in to a game find the lowest calorie cabin goodies available.


Coming soon - I'll be putting up my weight and weight loss goals along with pictures as soon as I find someone to take my picture.

Hi, I'm Joe!

Hi, my name is Jennie.  My bff is Aubrey/Bob and I am so happy to be writing this blog with Bob.  She is my hero and inspiration.  Who wouldn't love her?  For example, her last inspiration post was awesome and one good reason I love her.

So where did the nickname "joe" come from?  After high school I had a friend that knew way too many Jen's, Jennifers, Jenny's, and Jennie's so she decided to call me Joey because I liked Joey from N'Sync AND Joey from NKOTB (why? Because I'm awesome.) Moving on, when I started my job at the music store where I met  Bob there was already a Jen that worked there and they asked me if I had any nicknames. I told them Joey and then for about 5 years (minus 18 months where I was called Sister Argyle) EVERYONE I knew called me Joey.  I miss it.

So that was fun. Now onto Food and Fitness!

I thought this would be a semi cheesy blog where we would just post updates on weight and crap and then Bob had to get all deep on me :)  I really needed that.  That really is why we are doing this.  Her posts have really made me think the last couple of weeks.  What are my weaknesses?  Why do I never succeed in dieting?  But I am getting ahead of myself.

She mentioned I have been pregnant the last nine months so I have an excuse for my weight loss desires.  Well to be perfectly honest when I am pregnant the Gods smile upon me and I shed pounds.  That's right. So after I had my first bebe I was 20 pounds lighter than when I got pregnant.  With my second, it was 30.  It has been the only time in my WHOLE life where I have gotten to buy cute clothes.  With my second it was the first time in 10+ years I got to buy a size large instead of xl, or xxl (or worse.) Sure it was a maternity large, but still a size large and I loved it.  But as soon as baby comes the weight just piles back on.  My boy is 6 weeks and I've already gained 10 pounds back.  It is devastating.  I am terrified of all of it coming back on.

So I will start working.  I will commit.  I haven't posted anything yet because I knew if I did I couldn't take it back.  I'm terrified to start dieting again.  My biggest weakness? Myself.  Already in my head I tell myself I will fail at this. Why?  Because I have never been successful in reaching ANY of my dieting goals.  Dumb right?  But I tell myself that none the less.  I will try not too.  AND I will not be mad or defeated when I do have set backs, because I will.

Why do I never succeed in dieting?  I am still not entirely sure.  Probably a slew of tiny excuses that add up.  For example, I now have 2 kids!  How on earth am I supposed to get out the door with both of them and walk?  I don't even shower everyday! I couldn't even find the time to BLOG about how I am going to start walking let alone actually leave my house and do it.  Or it's getting to cold to take my 6 week old anywhere, or there is no way my 2 year old will stay in the stroller and I couldn't possibly ask my neighbors/friends/family for help.  Actually typing these excuses make me feel silly.  They sound so dumb. But like I said, I am my biggest weakness.  Self sabotage is what I do best.  

I really want to do this.  Here is my goal time, I am going to put it all out there.  I currently weigh 210.  My short term goal is by November 13th to have lost 6 pounds.

There it is in black and white.  So if you see me ask me about it. Make me accountable.

How is that for all mug-shotty.
My long term goal would be to lose 80 pounds.

To accomplish this I will make several changes.  In my mind, even I don't reach my goal, but stick to these changes I will consider myself successful.  I will drink at least 4 glasses of water tomorrow. (I never drink water, ever.) I will eat only recommended portions and have NO halloween candy. I will eat a vegetable everyday.  Even as I type that I want to take it back because my mouth just started watering. And I will get my butt out of the house and go for a walk.

If you want to join in the fun and contribute to our bloggy blog please let Bob or I know and we will hook you up!

Peace out.
(I am giving you the peace sign right now and I just said that like a 90's rapper.)

Inspiration

What inspires you? Afer browsing around on pinterest I have noticed that different things inspire different people to lose weight and stay fit. I tend to agree with some and totally disagree with others.

For instance, instead of finding this phrase inspirational, I find it offensive.



Well of course I am not a dog. But food is a necessary AND joyful part of life. I believe there is a way to enjoy food and be healthy and fit at the same time. Giving myself a treat does not equate me to a dog. Also I find this "inspiration" negative. And I prefer to keep my inspiration surrounded with positive energy.

This picture has been making the rounds on Facebook and Pinterest as well.



I HATE IT. I have seen it used as inspiration and humor and I find it neither. Why do you need to insult yourself every time you go to the refrigerator? You HAVE to eat at some point during the day. Giving yourself a guilt trip every time you do is just bad juju. Let's be positive and love ourselves even at our fattest. Then lets remember the good reasons why we want to get healthy and start working on getting there.



I tend to find my inspiration in the everyday normal rather than the unattainable. OK, I said that, then I realized the next picture I was going to post was going to be of a celebrity. So may that's not SO attainable. But I love Kelly Osbourne and love her story of getting thin and BEAUTIFUL.




I also love this type of motivation. I go on to my pinterest board daily and remind myself of this everytime I get frustrated about not seeing result.




...And this type of inspiration. I know I have the power to accomplish anything!




...And this type of inspiration. Because I KNOW I don't look pretty after (or on my way to) a good workout.




So I'll ask the question again. What inspires you?

Obstacles and Excuses - Tracking

So I wanted to blog a little bit about the obstacles and excuses I give myself when it comes to succesful weight loss. As much as we try not to focus on the negative I think it is very important to acknowledge your shortcomings so you can face them head on. I started writing a long post listing out and talking about each one of them. Then I rethought that and thought it might be more beneficial to do each one in a separate post. That way, it is a bit more succinct, yet I can bring a little more depth to each subject.


Let's face it. I have been "trying to lose weight" for about a year now. However, the exact opposite is happening. So obviously I have some thinking obstacles that have been preventing me from reaching my goals.

Tracking




I HATE TRACKING!!!!!! Grrr!!!!! It brings out the angry bear in me. Tracking is one of my least favorite things to do. Ever. I hate keeping track of all the food I eat because it takes away the joy of eating food and puts it into the "task" category. Don't even get me started on tasks. I hate tasks. I am usually really good at tracking my breakfast (yay!) but then I pretty much falter and don't track my lunch or dinner (boo). I have used multiple trackers, from Weight Watchers, to Lose it, and now on to the Daily Plate. They are all pretty much the same. The error is not with them, it's with me. I just don't like to track.

So how do I overcome this? Will it ever be an enjoyable activity for me? I lost 15 lbs on Weight Watchers 2 years ago and that was because I was tracking every single thing I ate. I know that one of the biggest keys to success in weightloss is about keeping track of what you eat. So since we started this blog to help with our accountability I will set a goal right now (don't get me started on how much I fear goals). My goal is to track everything I eat, good or bad, for 1 week. So next Friday you all should expect a cheery post from me with the news that I accomplished my goal.


Also,

Over the weekend I want to make this:

Image taken from www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

I love how good photography can make vegetables look so appetizing!

Hi, I'm Bob

Well I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna make the first post. Come on Joe, step up your blogging game. ;)

Let me introduce myself. I'm Aubrey. Some people (only Jen) call me Bob. Bob came about because when working at Wherehouse Music back in the olden days when I was in my early 20's. I always used to say "Why it's Wyatt!" whenever I saw my coworker Wyatt. My BFF Joey G Glitterati (Jen) took it a step further and would say "Bob it's Bobrey" whenever she saw me at work. Writing it down in a blog makes it seem not nearly as funny as when it happened. But alas, it happened and here we are nearly 10 years later still calling each other Bob and Joe. We are older now, one of us has kids, and we are both possibly slightly more mature.

We are also a little fat. I don't say it to be mean! I believe that someone can be beautiful at any size. But my clothes don't fit anymore and I don't have enough money to buy new clothes. Also, Jen just had a baby, so she has a great excuse for having some extra weight on her. But I have no baby (except my fooooood babay) so the truth is just that I am in my 30's and I eat more than I should. I hate eating most fruits and vegetables on a regular basis and I love sugar.

My goal for this blog is threefold. 1. To keep a journal of my food and fitness successes and failures. B. To keep in better touch with Jen and give each other support. Side Note - If you want to be a contributor to our blog and join in our food and fitness fun, let us know! The more the merrier and motivating. Finally: To have fun! Get Fit! and Eat (healthy) Food!

And because I believe all blog entries should have pictures attached to them to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Please enjoy this picture of what may be the most delicious looking sandwich ever.




Picture credited to www.ezrapoundcake.com