fat loss | garagegym107

Posts Tagged ‘fat loss

Oct

Issues, We All Have Them

I was chatting with a friend who is struggling this morning. As we chatted, I was thrown back in time to that exact point in my journey.

I don’t know where these things come from, they just seem to come from deep inside somewhere teaching me again, that I have learned some lessons over this journey of mine.

“We all have issues. My issues are not smaller than yours. I’ve learned not to use them as an excuse to crap on my goals” ~Garagegym107

There is so much meat in that statement, I immediately had to type it out and claim it.

For years I allowed my issues to be my excuse for chronically sabotaging my fitness efforts with poor quality food. It took me quite some time to figure out that when I ate poorly, I in turn felt even more poorly and my issues seemed ginormous (yes, I know that’s not really a word).

It happens in the lives of most women who struggle with dealing with emotional eating. You are not alone.

Sooner or later, you must confront your fears in order to move past these issues. It’s not about willpower so much as it is about willingness to change and will to let go.

Our issues can stay buried deep inside and something silly can pull one of them back to the limelight.

In example, I’ve written about the online trainer that literally told me I needed to rethink my goals regarding physique training. In that moment that little liar in my head came screaming forward saying “see I told you so”.

I could have let both the negative self-talking voice and the online trainer derail me completely. The old me would have allowed just that.

The stronger, wiser and much more at peace, and confident me simply said “watch this”. My goals are set, my countdown app on my phone is set and I’ve been busy doing.

Sure, I have issues, we all do. Step back and think things through. If you are reaching for food, you are still allowing those issues to rule your roost.

Oct

Never Going To Steal My Joy

By garagegym107 22 Comments

Over the past month I have seen numerous postings of one of my best friends before and after photos. Ironically, these photos are being taken by people attempting to claim her success as being a part of whatever fitness and training quick fix they are pushing.

What’s been interesting about the whole thing to both of us is reading all of the comments associated with her transformation. Especially the nay-sayers. One woman claimed to be “a trainer with 30 years experience” she didn’t believe the photos were real.

In my humble opinion, I’d run from that trainer. If she doesn’t believe this type of transformation is possible then you sure don’t want to pay her to convince you that it is not possible.

That’s why I love my friend and I love my life. We live our transformations every single day of our lives. We don’t have to go around using other people’s pictures to build ourselves up. Instead we use our own photos to build others up.

You see, no-one can ever steal our joy, we built it, we earned it, it’s ours to share.

We can walk the walk not just talk the talk. Let me just say this, it hasn’t been a cake walk. It’s much easier now than it has ever been before for both of us. But were it not for the road we’ve traveled, I would not be writing this blog.

People want change but people want change for nothing.

For all the ladies in the house…grab a tissue because this is a good one!

Let me introduce you to my friend Michelle T. . She is real, she is authentic and she is my mentor.

She has listened to me sob over realizing that a goal I set wasn’t going to happen. She never said I wouldn’t, just said maybe now isn’t the right time.

She has stood by me and patiently watched me impatiently struggle with being too strict with food and over training myself in to the ground all the while knowing that in my own time, I would come out on the other side.

You see, here is the thing about all of that weight-loss. Everyone is different. With personal patience, self-awareness and a personal belief that never waivers, long-term successful weight-loss can happen.

Each one reach one…Thank you Michelle for paying it forward!

YES this picture is real! Yes I have seen her in a two piece! YES IT CAN BE DONE!

Sep

Scales and What Not

By garagegym107 8 Comments

Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, exercise, fat loss, fitness, gaining self confidence, goals, Inspiration, Motivation, Weight Lifting, Weightloss, Well-Being

No, not fish scales. Weight scales.

I work with so many women regarding weight-loss and fitness. I’ve talked about scale weight before and how it fits in the big scheme of things.

If I could somehow be Glenda the Good Witch for just one day, I swear I’d love to banish all scales from the land!

Have I ever told you guys the story of going to our company “health-fair”? I consider myself pretty fit in the big scheme of averages so the health fair didn’t deter me. They checked both my good and bad cholesterol and both were impeccable. My blood pressure was also in the very good category.

So off I go the new super-duper body mass index machine. To use the machine you must be in your sock feet. I took off my shoes and when it was my turn, I jumped up on that bad boy only to receive this little ticker tape print out showing that I was by American standards “obese”. I literally laughed out loud.

One of the guys I workout with was right behind me. He 26 years old, six feet tall and has six-pack abs. Yes, I saw them during a workout class. You know what? His BMI put him in the obese category as well. I was already skeptical about our BMI standards anyway, but that pushed it over the top. The number one reason is that the technician never bothered to ask either of us if we work out on a regular basis. There is a different selection for athletes. Either way bad data.

Anyway, back to where I was going with all of this. Data is just data. It’s not a sign of success or failure, it’s a number. It is what we do with that number that matters.

If you struggle with getting on the scale to gather data then it’s time to ask yourself “why does this number matter so much to me?”.

What should really matter to you is if you are doing better today than you did yesterday. If you strive every single day to be a better person, whether it’s in your workouts, your finances, your savings, keeping your kids clothes clean and helping someone else out in some small way. You are moving forward.

Progress isn’t about what’s happening on the outside. It’s about what’s happening on the inside. When you figure out why you wrap success or failure around a number, changes begin to happen. You stop paying so much attention to the scale and to your appearance and start focusing on your workouts, how consistent you are, and if you are doing them correctly from a technical standpoint. Suddenly your body image starts to improve as does your ability.

One of the most refreshing things I’ve read lately was Lifting My Spirits about page and reading that she went on stage to compete in her first bodybuilding show without even caring what her BF% was. She just new by looking in the mirror and by doing the right things with her workouts and food that results were there. And that’s how this should be.

Do the right things and results will come.

Sep

Ignorance is Bliss

By garagegym107 1 Comment

Most people really truly don’t want to acknowledge the truth about fitness and weight loss. If they hide behind the veil of ignorance then they don’t have to hold themselves accountable. I did that, for a couple of years, in fact. I managed to pack on an additional 168# in two years. Yes, that’s correct, in only two years I went from a relatively healthy size 10 woman to a grossly unhealthy size 22. That’s an average weight gain of 1.61 pounds PER WEEK.

Talk about a sad sack. But ignorance was bliss. No one really ever said anything about the weight as it progressively increased.

I could have stopped it, I could have changed the course of my life. But instead I used every excuse I could dig up, meds were making me fat, job related stress was making me fat, my obnoxiously nasty divorce was making me fat. But you know what?

I was making me fat. I was the one stopping by the fast food joints picking up a bag full of whatever daily special was going on at whichever place was super-sizing everything.

The beautiful thing in my story is that I truly believe that people can change and those changes can stick, like glue.

I know personally many people who have successfully changed. Taking themselves from being slightly overweight, or emotional eaters, to those like me, who were obese.

They’ve taken responsibility for educating themselves. They’ve put their own ego’s and pride aside to make these changes. They’ve humbled themselves to the point of learning and humbled themselves to the point of DOING.

The most important thing that we’ve all learned is that in this life is: it’s not always about me.

Reach out and do something nice for another person. No need to tell anyone what you did, just do it.

Each one, reach one.

Sep

Do You Inspire?

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment

Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: BodyBuilding, Bright Spots, change, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, exercise, fat loss, fitness, gaining self confidence, Goal Setting, healthy-living, Motivation, nutrition, Training, Weight Lifting, weight loss, Well-Being, Working out, Workout

This morning after I finished my workout, I stopped by the grocery store on my way home. All stinky and sweaty I walked in store and a gentlemen unexpectedly came around the corner “excuse me” I say in my normal post workout cheerful voice.

I continued on down the main store front aisle. I noticed him about ten feet to my right and he says “are you a bodybuilder?” and I don’t know exactly what came over me when I blurted out “Well, yes I am!”, technically speaking I’m building on this body every single day. He proceeded to ask how long I’ve been working on it etc, I said a good 3-4 years. He simply said “well nice work”.

I could have gone in to the story of CrossFit and the story of being a personal trainer but in all honesty the answer I gave flew out of my mouth and so be it.

I’m not in great shape, I’m in good shape. To the outside average observer, I guess they see something different. It made my day. Reaffirmed my desire to keep moving forward, obstacle after obstacle. Goal after goal.

I have always loved the following quote:

“Just remember, there is someone out there who wishes they were where you are today.”

Today I’d like to share a new friends blog. It’s very inspirational. And a big thank you to Lifting My Spirits for taking time out of her busy schedule to talk with me.

Sep

The Past

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment

Every now and again I’m delightfully gifted with the opportunity to share my story and a few things I’ve learned to a live audience.

I derive so much joy from having these opportunities. Talking to others reminds me of various places I’ve been along my journey. It also reminds me that I’m still on my own journey.

This past weekend I was reminded of one aspect of my journey. The mind has a very powerful ability to replay old conversations years after the occurence.

That being said, I believe that we are in control of rewinding and re-recording over those powerful negative messages with positive new ones.

For example, I started running (well, what would be barely considered jogging to a runner) when I weighed just shy of 250#. I remember the negative thoughts going through my mind step after step, “you’re too fat to do this, you are too slow to be running, you can quit this now”. Over and over I would allow my negative thoughts to rule. It took me years to clear the cobwebs enough to realize that I was, simply put, defeating my own purpose.

Once I began to understand that nothing has the power to impact me, unless I give it the power did I realize great positive change from the inside.

I began changing my mantra to “you are strong and you are capable”, “you are strong and you are capable”. Over and over, year after year, I’ve repeated those words many, many times.

We truly are what we think we are so it is extremely important to make sure that we use “no negative self-talk, EVER”.

I have that saying written in chalk in the middle of the chalk board in Garagegym 107. My clients see it. It’s a constant reminder of the way I live. I see it every time I start my day. I believe it.

Empower yourself to make changes to negative experiences from your past.

Our past contributes to who we are, but our past doesn’t dictate who we become.

The chalk board project. The humble beginnings of GG107.

Sep

You Can’t Out Train a Poor Diet

By garagegym107 22 Comments

Categories: Living Fit Daily
Tags: Bright Spots, Clean Eating, Community, exercise, fat loss, fitness, food, health, healthy-living, Inspiration, Long term weight loss, Motivation, natural sugars, nutrition, Training, weight loss

I know this to be such a true statement. I don’t consider what I do a diet. I eat clean, I’ve educated myself on proper macro-nutrients and understand how to consume balanced meals.

Does that mean I always do what I know is the right thing? Negative ghost-rider!

Why would I not do what I know is best? Well, for me it is usually about poor planning.

If I don’t make a conscious effort to prepare and store my protein sources I find myself scrounging around for what I should eat.

I spend a couple of hours once a week preparing protein sources, usually grilling or baking in the form of chicken. Chicken gets boring. Yes, I know. I have umpteen(yes that’s a word my mom used to use) spices that I rotate so the my chicken gets a different flavor. I have friends that simply boil their chicken to death and then eat it. Not me I want some flavor.

I digress terribly today.

I freeze what chicken I won’t use over the following two days and I even go so far as to cut it up in to bite sized pieces so I don’t have to fight it later. I use the quart sized Ziploc freezer backs. They make my life easier.

I don’t always have access to fresh veggies, but our local Kroger puts small bags of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots on sale 10/$10.00 so I always have a back up plan on my veggies and yes, I eat the whole bag at one sitting.

I hard boil an 18 pack of eggs on Sunday, then I peel them all. Grab and go protein.

Food planning is only as hard as you make it. Do you work 12 hour days? Then it’s even MORE important to plan your meals. Write down a list of what you need and go buy ONLY what is on the list. Stay out of the inner aisles at the grocery store unless you are looking for olive or coconut oils or some other healthy oil. Shop the produce section, the meat counter and cooler for eggs.

Yes, it is that simple.

Veggies…don’t judge your taste of a veggie from any childhood experience. I hated brussels sprouts until someone roasted them after tossing in olive oil and salt and pepper. Now I love them. I enjoy and appreciate most all roasted veggies. We are grown-ups now. We should be open to trying every single vegetable just for sake of variety. It’s amazing how many things I’ll eat now that I wouldn’t touch years ago.

Eating clean is only as hard as you choose to make it. I choose to make it as easy as possible.

It’s not a chore, it’s a choice.

Aug

Are Anger and Frustration a Catalyst?

By garagegym107 6 Comments

Yesterday I had a conversation with an online trainer. I’m not here to bash this person because there is an off-chance there may be a bit of truth in his message.

His message was that someone with my history, the history of obesity to fitness, isn’t likely a good fit for taking things to the next level of getting leaned out.

It really struck a chord with my insecurity for about an hour. For that whole hour I had mental tapes from years past replay over in my head. All of the moments I heard the term “you can’t” “you won’t” “it’s not possible” to lose the weight.

He never said those exact words, but the words he said were direct enough to make me take that road trip backwards for the hour that I allowed my mind to venture.

Then I got really miffed. Miffed like I haven’t been in a decade. I got miffed because I allowed another human being to create doubt in a space that is off-limits. A space that I’ve maintained, manicured, furtilized with positivity, grown from a desolate space of nothingness into a positive field of successful DOING.

I know that people are trained in given fields. They fill themselves with statistics and data. They become an encyclopedia of their field of study and then they get comfortable spewing that data as one size fits all gospel.

Well, I’m here to tell you that is well and good. But there are things that none of that data can capture. Those are human spirit, soul and determination. The odds may be stacked in favor of the data, but there is always the off-chance that the underdog can and will prevail.

I choose to be the underdog. I choose to be the one that will succeed. My next level may not be the same as a superstar, but it’s mine for the taking.

I saw this the other day and yes, it came to mind by the time my head hit my pillow last night.

“Never let anyone tell you that you can’t”

Aug

Emotional Eating

By garagegym107 Leave a Comment

Quite a few people know what emotional eating is. Some folks think it is conjured up and an excuse.

I found this definition on the interwebz but it’s a bit harsh for my liking.

“Compulsive overeating, also sometimes called food addiction, is characterized by an obsessive/compulsive relationship to food.”

You see in the South we celebrate every occasion with food and therefore tend to connect every type of emotion under the sun with food. EVERYTHING.

Ironically I married a man who is NOT emotionally attached to food. I’ve learned a lot from him.

Food either tastes good to him, or it’s meh… He never eats because he’s stressed or anything like that. In fact I at times I put food in front of him as a reminder to eat.

It’s actually quite cool as an emotional eater to witness in reality that non-emotional eating really exists. It has helped me come to the following conclusion on handling food.

-When you look at food you shouldn’t be trying to decide if it will make you feel better or worse. You should only be thinking “it’s time for me to fuel my body with the best possible option, is that what this particular food will do?”

Once I accepted the responsibility that I managed food and it didn’t manage me, things really begin to change.

When you are caught up in the cycle of eat bad, feel bad so eat more bad and feel worse, it is totally up to you to break that mental cycle. It has nothing to do with the food.

You see when I first started losing weight, I had weight loss momentum on my side. I ate clean 6 days a week, had a free day and I worked out 6 days a week and rested one. The weight literally started falling off. 125# in the first year.

But the real changes for me didn’t start happening until I started unpacking my baggage chest. For 8 years I went up 20 pounds and down 20 pounds. Constantly yo-yo dieting and never really putting my finger on what the issue was.

One day I stood in my kitchen with my hand literally in the cookie jar, with my cup of milk about to commence in the Oreo dunking party when I realized that I was defeating my very own purpose.

At that moment came the first epiphany. That ah-ha moment when I cracked open the proverbial baggage trunk for the first time. I was flooded with guilt and shame and all sorts of emotion from the shoe boxes within that chest.

At that moment however, true healing began.

One shoe box of baggage at a time was revealed, acknowledged, ultimately forgiven and then released into that unknown space of healing.

I wrote letters to people who had wronged me, vented all of my frustrations, then burned them. Somehow this process allowed for me to let go of bitterness and hurt I was holding on to.

I wrote letters of apology and requested forgiveness and actually mailed those.

Once I had dealt with the process of letting go, surprisingly the emotional eating episodes slowed down and now are almost completely non-existent.

Never give up on yourself. Learn to love and appreciate the wonderful things you are capable of and forgive yourself for the seemingly stupid mistakes you’ve made and move on.

Life is so much better with a trunk filled with peace.

Aug

When The Obstacle is The Mind

By garagegym107 7 Comments

I was having a conversation with a coworker this morning. This girl has done an amazing job of losing about 40# over the last 4 months. Ironically, she says to me this morning “I’d be happy if I never lost another pound”. Maybe.

Here is the question I ponder though… why set self-imposed limits? It’s not about losing pounds, it is about losing insecurity and realizing just what you are capable of. It’s about getting fit.

I’ve been there, I’ve been to the point of saying “I’d be happy if I never lost another pound” but then I found fitness.

Fitness truly begins when scale watching ends.

Feeling healthy and strong far surpasses what it feels like to diet down to “thin”.

My message is this, when weight loss begins you will inevitably put self-imposed mental limits on what you can accomplish.

Mainly because you will fail to believe in all that you are capable of. Set those thoughts behind and set measurable, obtainable goals.

It may take you a lot longer than you initially think it will, but let me tell you this…the journey is so much more adventurous than you can imagine when you begin.

Get out of your own way and get busy doing things you never dreamed you could. The only obstacle is your mind.

Who would have ever thought that this:

Could transform in to this:

And the beauty of this is that I’m just getting started on learning how to stop letting my mind become the obstacle.

BELIEVE…

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garagegym107

Posts Tagged ‘fat loss

Issues, We All Have Them

Never Going To Steal My Joy

Scales and What Not

Ignorance is Bliss

Do You Inspire?

The Past

You Can’t Out Train a Poor Diet

Are Anger and Frustration a Catalyst?

Emotional Eating

When The Obstacle is The Mind

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