The power of the cheat

So, it is now day six of the St. Louis challenge, and I am meeting it pretty well. I've been to the gym all but one day, and I've resisted every dessert that has been served during the meetings... and I've only had one strip of bacon!!

One thing that is contributing to my success is the "cheat" night. Cyrus and I know it is unrealistic to think that either of us could eat only healthy foods indefinitely... so we get to have a "cheat" one night per weekend. The first weekend it was delicious sushi, then popcorn and jr. mints at the movies. I had a fantastic cheat last night at a nearby Mexican restaurant: chips & salsa, steak fajitas, and molten lava chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream! It was awesome to eat that meal and enjoy every moment of it, knowing I worked my butt off all week to have it guilt free. And it was so incredibly satisfying, that I know it will keep me going for yet another week of eating healthy. I of course was tested again today by some delicious looking strawberry cheesecake, but I did resist - drawing on the memory of last night's deliciousness ;)

Another thing that is contributing to my success is my co-workers. It is really cool to go in the fitness center and see a co-worker exercising too! It really motivates me to keep going, and I've needed that motivation here without Cyrus to help prod me along. I guess I am about halfway through the trip now, and I think I am doing pretty well. I guess the scale will let me know when I get home on Sunday evening...

xoxo
Dita

St. Louis: The Challenge

Yesterday I arrived in St. Louis, and will be here for 10 more days and nights for work. This is going to be my biggest challenge to date... as I MUST keep my workout and diet schedule going in the midst of these events I am participating in (which can be pretty exhausting). There are some pros and some cons to this trip:

CONS
1. I can't make my own food, and must choose from the pre-selected meals that will be provided
2. I don't have Cyrus physically with me in my corner, making me go to the gym if I don't feel like it one day
3. I will be extra tired
4. Sometimes these meetings can go into the evening, making it more difficult to work out
5. Every lunch and dinner meal served comes with dessert and every breakfast comes with bacon, which I will have to refuse every time

PROS
1. I don't have to make my own food, it's all made for me!
2. All my team members know about my quest, and will be there to support me if I feel unmotivated, and Cyrus is only a phone call away
3. The fitness center is less than a minute walk from my room, making excuses almost impossible
4. My good friend Lolly who lives here took me to the grocery store last night, and I have lots of healthy snacks to eat to keep my diet on the right track.

Sooo... this trip will be a challenge, there is no doubt about that, but I still have my motivation and I refuse to let this long trip deter me from my goal. When I get home, I still expect that number on the scale to do gown!

Now - I am off to the fitness center before my first round of meetings :)

xoxo
Dita

The scale is not my friend yet

Today is officially the 5th day of my project, and should also be my 5th day in a row of going to the gym. I have to say, I am not in the mood to go at all, but I am just not going to think about it and go through the motions of getting there. Once I am there, I will be motivated and put in the work.

I used to look forward to my nice little elliptical machine at the gym, but Wally (my trainer) told me that is fairly useless if I actually want to lose weight, so now I have to do the dreaded stair climber OR walk on the treadmill at a 13-14 point incline at a speed of 2.8 - 3.2. Wally, why must you torture me??!

I know the weight loss thing doesn't happen overnight, so this is the part where I have to keep the faith and know that it's ok if a month goes by and I am not where I want to be yet. My problem for those who know me is that I am fairly impatient when it comes to getting something I want. Once I make up my mind to do something, I want to see the result immediately (hence the never-ending change in my hairstyle and color)!

I also know that it is common to gain weight before the weight is lost... but come on - I gained 3 pounds since Thursday!! Luckily when I stepped on the scale today, it was back down to where I started, I just hope it continues to go DOWN now, not up.

Ugh, only 5 days in and I am losing a little steam... don't worry though, I am not even thinking of giving up, just being a bit of a baby at the moment :)

xoxo
Dita

My new quest

Ok, so here goes for my very first blog ever...

I've decided to start this blog because I am embarking on a project to get myself into a comfortable size 8. Over the last three years or so, I've been concentrating so much on work and major life events, that I've managed to pack on 20 lbs. YES... 20 lbs! I can hardly believe it myself, but when I saw the number on the scale a few weeks ago that I swore I would never see, it was time to take some drastic action.

This blog is meant to keep me accountable for my actions, and hopefully to help keep me motivated as well. Since I am putting it out there that I am trying to get back to a size 8 (I am now a size 12), I am hoping that I can keep this promise not only to myself, but anyone who reads this as well.

I appreciate everyone who makes the obligatory "you don't need to lose weight" comments, but for ME... yes, I do need to lose weight to be back to where I personally feel comfortable. I ain't no spring chicken anymore, and I realize that I need to work a lot harder than I used to... I can't just eat cheeseburgers, quesadillas and reese's peanut butter cups and expect to be skinny!

So, this week is part one of my project: the beginning

I have signed up with a personal trainer at Gold's Gym, Wally, who has already shown me what it is REALLY like to work out... I was happily going to the gym before and doing my cardio and thinking, "wow I really worked out hard today" - but I had not pushed myself to the limit. After working out one time with Wally, I could barely walk the next day, and after my second session, I learned I actually can't do a push up.

So, between personal training, which will go through December 2009, an extremely supportive husband who helps keep me motivated, and now this blog - I know my quest for that size 8 is within my grasp, it will just take a tremendous amount of work and will power!

I have no idea how often I will write, maybe once a week, maybe once a day, or maybe just when I need a little boost of motivation. Either way, I am excited to see what I can do!

xoxo
Dita