Stress...

Ahhhh stress...it can get the best of us...The past 2 weeks I was under a lot of stress which threw me off of my routine.  I do not like being stressed because of that reason!  I need to become better at managing that, but sometimes it because overwhelming.  There were some good things that happened and some not so good things that happened. 

Well, the not so good things first...
1 - my workouts went right out the door.  I worked out 4 times in the past 2 weeks.  I was very tired at night and pretty much if I don't work out in the morning I'm not going to workout. 
2 - I slacked some on my eating. 

Here is the good...
1 - I did manage to workout 4 times in the past weeks, and then today I got back in the gym. 
2 - Even though my eating was not good all of the time, I didn't overeat like I would have in the past such as taking out an entire large pizza, 2 liter of soda and a pint of ice cream.  It was more like eating good and then having some cookies and a few pieces of cake.  Yes, a few pieces.  This past Saturday at a potluck I had a piece of lemon cake and a piece of ice cream cake...I KNOW!!!  They were both good, in taste, but probably not the best thing to eat.  And I waited until the end of my 2 weeks before the "bad eating" came out. 

Now, I'm back to eating well.  The only thing with eating bad is that my body starts to crave the "bad" stuff, so I don't keep it at home. 

The bottom line here is that just because I made some not so healthy choices for myself over the weekend that does not mean that I've lost everything that I've worked for and that I have to "throw in the towel" on what I'm currently working on. It is okay that that happened.  I was probably due for it anyway.  The important thing is that it has been recognized and dealth with! :) 

Baby Step 1 - Asking for help...

I asked for help...Yes, I did.  I know that a lot of people may perceive asking for help as a sign of weakness, but it actually is a sign of strength.  We humans were not meant to live our lives alone, we are naturally social beings; however, things in our lives may cause us to isolate and think that "we can do things on our own."  That is what happened to me.  I always ate my food in isolation because I was ashamed of what I was doing and as long as no one saw me doing it, then it was "okay", only problem was that I hated living that way.  So, I was finally ready to do something about it and I asked for help...

I was a former high school and college athlete and I thought I knew it all...but the reality of it was that I had no direction, so I was just spinning my wheels.  I needed someone to help me figure things out...I needed structure.  I hired a personal trainer who helped me get moving and started me on a better eating track than I had been on.  She gave me a plan and was someone that I was accountable to, and that really helped me out.  If you want to get a personal trainer do some research to find out their style of training and accountablitiy.  Make sure that they know if you have any problems with knees, back, etc., and make sure that they take that into account when putting together your training program.  I have bad knees so my trainer worked around those problems that I have. 

It really is okay to ask people for help...when someone helps you or when you help someone it also helps them and will help you too.  I know it's scary to reach out to people, so start with someone that you trust, someone that has walked the path before you...and you will be amazed at what can come from it. 

Life in the Fast Lane...

So, as I grew up so did fast food joints.  They were popping up everywhere and in a time of needing things right now, families, including mine, were going through the drive-thrus like crazy!  Burgers and fries were on the menu and soon became the "fast-food" item to eat.  YUMMY!  I loved my burgers and fries and anything else that was full of fat and deep-fried!  They were so good and you could have one in your hand in a matter of seconds!  Only problem with that was that after everyone else was done with their burger they went on with their day, and I just wanted another burger...

My obsession for food increased and I wanted to eat more and more.  I LOVED fast food places because I could get all of the food I wanted and fast!  I would eat in the car and all the way home.  Then I would get ready to "feast" on all of the other food that was left in my bags.  This was NOT good for someone who loved to eat food and lots of it. 

Fast food was really my only source of food.  I ate it all the time and it sure did show in how I looked.  I ate burgers and fries, pizza, anything that they offered I ate it.  If it was grilled or had too many veggies, I probably wasn't going to eat it and I didn't.  I drove from fast-food place to fast-food place getting only the things I wanted to eat from there...and let me tell you I was truly ashamed of that...!  Why in the hell was I doing that?  Honestly I didn't know...I was just obsessed with food and with eating it.  I didn't even enjoy it...I would just eat and eat and eat...sometimes I would eat so much that I would get sick, but I felt so bad about all of the food that I ate that I would just eat more.  One time I ate pizza buffet for lunch AND dinner...CRAZY! 

Well, after years of eating like that I was beyond unhealthy.  One would think that if you ate all of that food that you wouldn't be malnorished, but I totally was!  Quanity of food does not equal quality of food.  I really just didn't eat anything good for me.  Well...I take that back.  When I would have my breaks from fast food dining I would eat healthy...well, that was actually just my new diet.  Somehow, thank God, I didn't get diabetes or high blood pressure or any other preventable disease. 

Over time I have lost my "taste" for fast food and rarely eat it.  It's really good, because now if I eat something that is not that healthy my body lets me know...immediately!