Abs in Process!

So if you follow my blog you'll know all my goals. The big goal for me is I want some definition in my stomach. I've been aiming to eat clean 80% of the time to achieve this and susprisly loving it. I don't feel at all deprived. It really works for me. I finally feel like I'm cracking it with the healthy lifestyle instead of looking for quick fixes. I'm doing it all properly now and when I feel myself getting discouraged with the progress or my failures I remind myself of how far I've came with lifestyle changes. It's so easy to look in the mirror and feel disappointed but results do come, so it's best to focus on 'am I healthier than before?', and as long as the answer is yes you should be proud and those results will follow.  

So here is a photo of me from yesterday taken from a screen shot of a video I was recording (I have to do a video for an exam I'm doing in Cheerobics encase your wondering, plus another one of my goals is to evenually do home work-out videos so I'm trying to learn some confidence in front of the camera ;-) ). 

Now my goal wasn't just to get definition in my stomach but more inmportantly the lower part so still work to be done, but on the whole I'm really pleased as I feel I'm seeing a real difference. 

I'm also coming to the end of week 1 of no refined sugar and this seems to make a real difference for me, but unlike when I did it before I'm learning from my mistakes and being aware of the trap when the plan comes to an end. 

My current workouts are just a weekly 'Work it Baby' class and 'Cheerobics' practising at the moment. The class and home practising and healthy eating are getting me close to my goal so I'm so chuffed. 

I'm looking forward to hopefully sharing the end result real soon :D 

Love Miss Work it Baby x x x

The Challenge Trap!

If you follow my posts you'll know I set myself challenges including the month I went without refined sugars. I need to do this to keep myself achieving my goals. I'm an emotional eater and I personally believe everything in moderation but quite often I find the whole moderation thing difficult to do. So instead it works for me to set myself cold turkey challenges. This works much better for me as there is no room for 'well I can just have one more as long as I'm good the rest of the week', which then slowly slips out of control. Generally the more I have the more I want and to be quite frank when it comes to food I get quite addicted to the wrong stuff. I never get bored of eating bad food and that's where my problem lies. I eat rubbish for pleasure, boredom, comfort, celebrating as well as when I'm feeling sorry for myself or stressed. I also eat junk when I don't see the results I want quick enough and think what the heck it's not working so I might as well eat what I want anyway.......as if that's gonna help!!

So as you can see this is why a challenge for me is just much more beneficial. Challenges are bloody hard work or it wouldn't be a challenge, but I'd definitely recommend it if you know your not good at the whole moderation thing as there is no room for I'll just have a little as the plan doesn't aloud for this until you finish it. However be warned it's going to take a lot of grit to get through it.

Now for the most important thing before you start....THE TRAP! Are you aware of this when starting any diet or challenge? 

When I finished my last challenge I was so proud of myself that I'd actually achieved it  I felt I deserved a reward. So what did I reward myself with.....the obvious CAKE, CHOCOLATE, PIZZA, POPCORN AND CHEESE! Wait it doesn't stop there this wasn't just one evening but I kept doing it. On and off for about 2 weeks until I finally decided enough was enough and I'd just sabotaged a whole month of bloody hard work. 

You see a diet or challenge is great if your realistic and don't try to convince yourself you can have something naughty because you've just done so well. It's totally pointless and defeats what you'll done so well at. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a treat but it should just be a treat. Not a treat evening or weekend or even a week of booze, takeaways and sweets. In just one evening you can undo all your hard work. Sometimes you can get away with it for quite a while but the truth is eventually it will catch up on you because junk food is addictive. The more you eat the more you want. Basically in the long run you are just making things harder for yourself. Even if your a healthy size you still need to think about what your putting into your body. Bad food will cause you health problems maybe not now but one day. 

Be kind to your body and don't fall into the trap of I know I'm going to a party next week so I'll start my healthy eating after that. Well it's perfectly fine to have the night of but why wait till after? Instead be good up till that occasion then enjoy the special occasion and then get straight back on it. 

Enjoy those times and don't feel guilty, but earn that special occasion if you want to succeed. Have a treat but make sure it's just the one. Thats' what will get you results and keeping them. 

I used to do a treat night and I don't now. I just have a treat when I need one and try to minimise this (it's a working progress to be honest) ,but I'm getting there and it's not about looking at what your still not getting right it's about comparing yourself to how you were. I'm not there completely with the healthy eating but if I compare myself to my food habits a year ago then my palette of food has been amazingly cleaned up. Much more variety, nutritional value and definitely less junk and yes my weight has stayed off even with the slip ups because I always get back onto it. I don't give up on myself. I have a family to think of so my health is important so fighting bad lifestyle demons is a priority. The whole you only live once is true, but I'd rather live a long happy disease free life if I'm fortunate enough to do so and so I'll do what I can to maximise my chances. 

Healthy living is not about perfection but consistency. It's not about feeling deprived but learning to control you addictions first and foremost, because without the addictions and cravings there is no feeling deprived. I gave up fizzy drinks and sugar in my tea a few years ago and it no longer bothers me. It did for a long time but now I couldn't care less, I don't feel I'm missing out in fact I cringe thinking about having either now.  

Watch for your trap and be good to yourself

xxx

The Funny Motivation We All Need!

These both make me chuckle because I've done them, shamefully A LOT! Although on a more serious side (boring I  know), but these hit the nail on the head for me. When I get depressed about not achieving the results I want this is why! I don't give it time and push through. I want results straight away and I'm impatient. When that doesn't happen I think sod it I'll eat cake, it's not working anyway! Or I'll start again on Monday......why? What's wrong with the next day? So I can cheat all weekend and wonder why I'm not achieving? Or I do but then the results slowly slip away. It's good to laugh about your mistakes and learn from them but whilst chuckling over how ridiculous it is that we've all done this, it's now time to look at in on a more serious note and not allow yourself to do this anymore. The only one who can sacrifice your results is YOU! Laugh, love and learn but don't sabotage your own success. 

Wishing you loads of success fighting your emotional eating demons.

xxx

No Sugar Challenge - The Results!

Hey guys, sorry for big gaps in posts but I have a really good reason. I've moved home and been revising for an exam and been away training in Cheerobics. 

Anyway, what I have now completed is a 4 week no sugar challenge. When I say no Sugar I mean no refined sugars but I've had a little bit of natural sugars within foods like milk and fruit etc. 

I started the challenge as I believe in everything in moderation, but found with the stress of finding a new home and moving I started to binge and my healthy eating when out the window. I found I couldn't just have a little anymore and was getting addicted to sugar so I decided cold turkey was my best option. I was getting really depressed as I've worked so hard to get results and found that they were slowly slipping away. My stomach had became so bloated that it started looking like a pouch at the bottom and defined at top which made me feel angry with myself as I was throwing away everything I'd worked so hard for. I decided I could feel sorry for myself or do something about it. So I did. 

Now for anyone that's not into sweet treats 4 weeks may not seem long, but when you've got a bit of an addiction and eating these foods daily it's a lifetime. The 1st week was a killer and I nearly gave up on the 1st day when my mother in law made loads of homemade cakes. I kept telling myself well I could always start again tomorrow. However I'm really proud as I resisted and did complete the 4 weeks. I decided they would always be temptations, but that it was only 4 weeks and if I really wanted results that I'd do it. The truth of the matter is if you really want something you'll just do it, so I had to ask myself how much I wanted it. The answer was A LOT!

Here is my results, which may not seem amazing but I feel there is real noticable difference.

Let me know your challenges,

Love Kirsty x

Goal setting for weight-loss success!

Firstly never set a goal to lose weight. Yes you may want this and it's fine to follow a programme to do this, but don't let this be your main goal....trust me! Real weight-loss and not just a quick fix, but something you wish to maintain takes time, but if you focus on being healthy the rest will naturally follow! Of course you can lose weight really quickly following the right diet and exercise regime but if once it's completed you put it all back on it's pointless. 

Your 1st goal should always be to re-educate yourself. Knowing how to read food labels, which foods will keep you feeling fuller for longer and so on will make you much more likely to succeed permanently. 

Now set specific goals that are achievable but will help your individual needs for e.g if you struggle to stay off the sweet treats then your goal would be to research and learn some healthy sweet recipes that you enjoy. 

One of my goals is to try something new every week. The reason for this is I'm really fussy however I know it's important to eat a variety of foods for results and health. Making this a perfect goal for me which allows me to slowly increase my palette of food which eventually will make it easier for me to eat healthy which equals a fitter me. Happy days!

Write a list of your weaknesses and set yourself a challenge based on where you struggle. 

My goals are to tone up my rear and get some definition in my arms and lower stomach. I'll be posting soon how I plan to do this with setting specific goals to help me succeed. 

How I've stayed slim – my top 5 tips for maintaining your results

I get it all the time you don't need eat healthy your already skinny. Or you can get away with eating all that as your slim and so fourth. Yes I believe in eating well and yes I also think it's fine to sometimes just enjoy what you want in moderation. However I'm also like everyone else and struggle sometimes to eat healthy, whether it's because of lack of motivation, stress, money, time or simply I just fancy having junk and loads of it. I'm only human and bad food tastes for a reason. The funny thing is about all these statements though is simply well I'm slim because yes sometimes I do fall of the healthy eating wagon but generally I'm always trying to stay on it. I mean if every time someone said to me go on you can get away with eating that then believe me I wouldn't be the size I am now. I work ridiculously hard on trying to eat healthy because quite frankly I'm fussy and it doesn't come natural to me. I'm working on the terrible habit I have of eating for pleasure instead of for fuel.

I don't think they is anything wrong with letting your hair down sometimes and not worrying about what you put in your mouth. I believe it's just as unhealthy to become fixated on only eating real foods whilst it would be great if we all did this it's not very realistic and worrying about it is certainly defeating the object of living a healthy lifestyle. Most nutritionists say aim for 80% being good and don't worry the rest of the time too much.

So I've kept just over 2 stone off now for 2 years now but since I struggle with healthy eating how have I done it?

Here are my top 5 tips:

1)I'm always prepared for a bad day. Now I don't mean I have some amazing back-up plan for when things go wrong on how I'm going to fight the demons saying what the hell eat me when things are going wrong, to be quite frank I'm pretty poor at this (although great compared to how I use to be) know what I mean is if I've had a bad day I except it and move on. Sometimes it's sooooo incredibly easy to feel sorry for yourself when you've had a bad day and eaten terribly and think what's the point. When in actual fact you've just had a slip up and tomorrow is a fresh start to get it right. A bad day is fine not ideal but fine. A life of bad eating isn't fine. Start over and believe me you will see less and less of these bad days as healthy eating starts to become a habit. I know this as I get better and better all the time.


2)Focus on small gradual changes. I always had 2 sugars in my tea and I gradually over six months I cut down to none. Yes six months is a long time to break a habit but it's better 6 months to quit and it being permanent than a quick fix that doesn't last. I went from 2 sugars to 1¾ waited till my taste buds adapted and then 1½ and down ½ teaspoon a time until my taste buds weren't bothered. Now two years later and I'm still without sugar in my tea, in fact the thought of 2 sugars makes me feel sick, YUCK!


3)Don't waste your treats on drinks! I love food so if I want to have something naughty and keep it in moderation then I have to knock drinks on the head. Anyone who read my very first blog will know I was very badly addicted to fizzy drinks. Even if a drink is low or zero calories think about what nutritional value if has, if it doesn't then it's likely to be having a negative effect on you and stopping you from succeeding in your goals.


4)Be honest about what you can't eat in moderation. For me it's sweets so I gave them up completely about 4 months ago. I simply cannot have one. If I do I immediately want more and before I know it the whole packet has gone (no matter how big the packet is). So now I don't buy them. If I need something a little sweet I may opt for chocolate as I can have a few squares and not be fussed. Clearly that's better than massive bag or sweets! Always focus on what you struggle to eat in moderation.


5)Have a glass of water with every meal or snack. It's easy to forget to drink enough and we all know it aids weigh-loss so get into the habit or pouring a glass of water with everything you plan to eat. Make sure to finish it as it will help to fill you up!

What to do if you can't stick to your diet!

I cannot diet end of. I simply have no willpower for it. I love food, especially junk food and find it so difficult to eat bad food in moderation. So I don't buy it and set myself individual challenges rather than following a specific diet plan that restricts certain foods. I don't agree with restricting yourself something, but everything in moderation.  All these diet plans have been set up to make money and don't care if your just losing muscle not fat or if your not getting the required nutrients you need. So to really succeed you need to get the devil out of your body. By this I mean your devil. That one food(s) that you know is really bad for you and if your honest with yourself your most probably addicted too. This is your devil because it's likely making your fat, unhappy and definitely unhealthy. Quite simply you need to tell him or her to pee off!

I had quite a few. The main one for me was fizzy drinks. I went cold turkey about 2 years ago and to this day I haven't had a slip up. I was really addicted to these drinks especially diet coke and would send my hubby out at ridiculous o'clock to get me a can. I drank them everyday and the more I drank them the more I wanted.....yes it may seem crazy but I was a fizzy drink addict! Think about it could you tell me what makes up those fizzy drinks? Basically I was just polluting my body.

If you eat something everyday that you know isn't good for you or you find something difficult to eat in moderation then go cold turkey. If it's just you can't have one packet of crisps and before you know if you've ate 6 bags then just don't have any. Your not restricting yourself to any specific food group then, but just saying no to a bad addiction. After all it's not that tiny mouthful of something naughty occasionally making you fail in your goals it's the food or drink that you eat in excess. Give it up! It will be hard, it may take several attempts, but just from giving up certain addictions you'll be so much closer to succeeding.

Let me know your addictions and how it goes x