Leaping Off the Wagon

Well, this week, I didn’t just fall off the wagon, I leapt off.  Maybe not even a leap, but a full force run in the opposite direction of where I was heading.

And I discovered…it’s really easy to blog when things are going well. But during times of struggle, it’s hard to put myself out there.

It made me think about the life of a celebrity. No privacy, always under scrutiny for their appearances, family ties, career moves and life choices. Imagine if people judged us like we judged them? We don’t even know them. Yet, I’m guilty as charged. I’ll sit in front of the TV, in my comfy clothes and be thinking “what the heck is she wearing? Doesn’t she have a mirror?”

When I thought about celebrities and their public weight struggles, plenty came to mind. Janet Jackson, Jessica Simspon, Wynonna Judd, Jennifer Hudson, Kirstie Alley, and of course Oprah Winfrey.

As I watched the trailer’s for Oprah’s 25 year career, I couldn’t help but to think about the ups and downs of her weight loss journey, after all, it was right before my eyes. This woman, the most powerful and wealthiest in the world (until Lady Gaga knocked her to #2), she struggles just like you and me.

Oprah has the world of heath at her fingertips. She’s got a cook and a personal trainer. The best fitness equipment that money can buy. Yet she still hasn’t found her way. I’m not talking about when she rolled the wagon full of fat unto the stage in her little skinny jeans, she was too thin then. I’m talking about overall wellness.

And for you Biggest Loser fans…they have the best trainers in the world, the weight loss opportunity of a lifetime. They exercise and eat in a controlled environment and some weeks…they blow it. Makes me feel better on those nights when I’m watching Biggest Loser while eating my peanut butter Tandycakes.

This week, I ate just about everything in sight (and then some). My workouts fell to the wayside. I was tired and grouchy. And I realized that I was tired and grouchy because I ate just about everything in sight and my workouts fell to the wayside. And joyfully I thought “I don’t like feeling this way”. I like the way I feel when I put good foods in my body and when I exercise. That’s progress baby! J I thought I leapt off the wagon this week, but as it turns out, I’m still in it. My wagon just took a little detour.

Part of the reason I created this blog is to remind women (and myself), that we’re only human. We try, we fail. We try, we succeed. What’s most important is that we keep trying.

“There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that lost by not trying.”~ Francis Bacon Sr.

Whatever you’re facing this week, don’t miss out on something wonderful by not giving it a try.

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Missing Mo-Jo

dis·com·bob·u·late–verb- To confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate.

This week, I’m feeling very discombobulated (love that word). I’m tired, frustrated, frazzled.

My “get up and go”…“got up and went”. I lost my mo-jo. You get what I mean…I’m beat.

There are simply not enough hours in the day to get things done. I feel like I’m running around like crazy and accomplishing ¼ of what I need to.

Work is busier than ever. My husband’s job is stressful. We have kid stuff every night of the week. As the school year comes to an end, it seems as though the teachers try to cram in all of the projects they didn’t quite get to assign. Don’t forget about the awards banquets. Our daughter is a senior, so add in the graduation planning and college preparation. Scheduling summer sports and camps. Not to mention the endless array of paperwork that comes with all of the above. And oh yeah, the house still needs to be cleaned, laundry done, groceries bought, birthdays remembered…How about squeezing in time for our family? Spouse? Children? Friendships? Spiritual time? Ourselves?

Such is the life of a busy Mom. Is it any wonder that we struggle to lose weight? I don’t know about you, but often times I come in dead last. How on earth can we find the time to shop for healthy foods? To plan and prepare meals? Exercise? And how do we dig deep enough to find the energy to “keep on keepin’ on?”

Something is different for me this time around. Which is probably why I’m feeling a little discombobulated?  I have flip-flopped my priorities. In that list of “to dos” above, just look at what comes in last place. Family. Spouse. Children. Friendships. Spiritual time. Ourselves.

Right now, I’ve got laundry mountain waiting for me to conquer. My house is semi-clean but needs some help. The endless paper pile is growing. But Jimmy Crack Corn and I don’t care! Why? Because I’m doing what’s truly important.

I went shopping with my daughter. Played whiffle ball with my son. Took a family walk and enjoyed the weather. Went out to dinner with friends. Read a book. Walked the dog with my husband. Went to Zumba with my girlfriend. Spent time in prayer. Exercised almost every day. Took some photos. Prepared healthy foods.

A few weeks ago at Weight Watchers’s, our leader asked the question “who can name one or more thing you’ve done for yourself this week?” We all sat scratching our heads and looking at each other like hmmmm…I dunno.

This week, try the twofer rule (yes I made that up). Every day, if I can get TWO things done from my never-ending “to do” list- I consider it a day well spent.

Remember, you can’t do it all, but you can do what matters.

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Something Amazing Awaits

Well…it was bound to happen. I am at a plateau. Over the past few weeks, I have been up a pound, down a pound, up a pound, down a pound. It’s enough to drive a girl crazy. It’s also enough to make a girl quit!

When I’ve reached this point in my weight loss journey before, I threw in the towel. Because those little voices in my head tell me the sacrifice is not worth it. The exercise and aching muscles. Planning and wise choices. Weighing and measuring. The cooking…for Pete’s sake, I despise cooking.

But this time, as I write the words, the sacrifice is not worth it; I’m thinking the words, I am worth it. I am worth the work.  I am worth the exercise and aching muscles. I am worth the planning and wise choices. I am worth the weighing and measuring and as much as it pains me to say, I am worth the cooking.

So what makes this time around different? I want it! I want this. And I believe that if you want something bad enough, you can…and will…make it happen.

Granted, it “might” not happen within your planned timeline. Many years ago, when our daughter was very young, I went back to college for my bachelor’s degree. I took one class and stopped. Then, a few years later, I took another class and stopped. Not only was it not the right time in our lives, I simply didn’t want it bad enough to put in the hard work to make it happen.

In the fall of 2004, I went back again to get my degree. And this time, I wanted that degree so bad, I was willing to do anything to make it happen. I was working full time, had two very busy kids and decided to take an accelerated degree track, taking 10-15 credits a semester, including summers. On class day, I woke up at 5:30am, went to work, worked a full day and went right to class until 10:00pm. On non-class days, when push came to shove, I woke up at 5:30am to study before work. And I despise getting up early almost as much as I despise cooking. ;) I was a woman on a mission, and nothing could stop me. And with the wonderful support of my family and friends, I graduated in 2007.

I’m not exceptional, ordinary people achieve extraordinary things every day. What’s different for me on this leg of my journey is that I want to make this change. And although I might encounter all kinds of obstacles (work stress, lack of time, kid events, caring for family members), I am going to make this happen. Because I want this and I’m worth it!

A little disclaimer needs to happen here…J A good friend of mine once said to me “God’s perfect timing may NOT be perfect to you. But it is to Him”. So true. Sometimes, we want something very badly and it doesn’t happen. It might happen a year from now, ten years from now or never. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go for it. Something amazing that we hadn’t even planned for might just happen instead.   

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara

Somewhere in the Middle

“Somewhere between the hot and the cold,
somewhere between the new and the old.
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be,
somewhere in the middle, you'll find me.”

Love, love, LOVE that song by Casting Crowns and it really hits home for where I am in my journey right now, weight and otherwise.

Last week, I hit the 20 pound marker. I’m over half way to my weight loss goal. I should be jumping for joy. Yet much like the character in the song above, I’m a little apprehensive. Change is scary. Even positive change can bring about a case of the jitters.

“Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense.
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle”.

I wonder if that’s why so many people are content being caught in the middle?

Wouldn’t it be great to live life as a fearless warrior? Living with reckless abandon. Setting crazy goals. Dreaming larger than life dreams.

I don’t know about you, but I love listening to kids talk about their hopes for the future. Man, they have some gigantic dreams without limits. Sometimes they crack me up, and sometimes they blow me away with their sunshiny optimism. They don’t care if the dreams are silly, ill-timed or possibly unachievable. They are not caught in the middle; they are caught in the moment.

Where does that moment go? What happens when we grow up? What makes us cautious? Hesitant? Leery? Cynical?

We get hurt…fail. We get burned...run out of steam. Common sense kicks in.

As I’m caught in the middle, I am reminded that I have the power to get “unstuck”. Every day I have a choice and the beauty of it all? Even if I screw things up, God gives me another fresh start.

So this week, have faith in yourself. Take stock in your abilities. You have done and will do some incredible things! Tap into your fearless warrior. Do something you’ve been putting off yet wanting to do.  

The only thing holding you back…is you!

Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.

Hugs and friendship,

Tara