90 Day Challenge Results

I failed.

(But I didn't.)

I succeeded, YOU succeeded, no matter what the scale says!

Just because you didn't meet your goal doesn't mean you failed this 90-day challenge. If you participated in this challenge then you succeeded, no matter what the "results" show!

But How? 

For 90 days YOU were accountable to yourself for the choices you made. You were conscious of every good decision that outweighed a bad alternative AND you were conscious of each bad choice you made over the good one. You knew that every decision you made effected YOUR 90-day outcome.

Guess what? 

Day 90 is not the end!!! You just spent 90 days developing new habits by making those decisions and knowing how they would effect your outcome. That doesn't magically stop on day 91. You will still be in the habit of thinking about the choices you are making. Keep going! This is your new path. Sometimes we choose the wrong direction, that's okay. The important part is that you get back to the right one eventually.

Day 60 Quick Update

I had a sudden realization, with some horror, that it was time to make my 60 day update. Why the horror? I realized I didn't really have much to report. I've had more downs than ups the last 30 days but I do plan to kick it into high gear for the next 30 days. 

Thankfully it's been nice enough out now to FINALLY go out walking. Luckily I know have two walking partners who motivate me and in return I hope I motivate them. There have been some chilly walks, but the weather for the next little while looks great.

Your results aren't always going to be what you want. Your results aren't always going to be what you expect. The important thing is that you don't give up. Keep on reaching for your goals.

The First 30 Days: Results!!!

As I approached day 30 it became (more) obvious that in order to succeed in this 90-day challenge I am going to need to make some changes to what I am doing now. Since cutting food is out of the question (hey, I love food too much), there is going to need to be exercise. It is now more important than ever to start going for 5K walks again. This should become easier to make time for now that the hockey season is nearing an end as I won't be able to use the arena job as an excuse. 

Since almost every day has been a battle, I decided that I should go back and look at the beginning of my journey to rediscover how hard it was then. I mean way back to 2012 when I first decided to lose weight. The first month was a struggle, but I made it through and lost 10 pounds that month. Don't forget, I had a lot more to lose back then so losing 4.5 pounds this month is great considering I have a lot less to lose these days.

That's right, I lost 4.5 pounds in my first 30 days and it's great! Considering I thought I had ruined my progress with a bad week leading up to day 30, I am so happy with this result!  I have 60 days left and I need to challenge myself to be better and get my ass in gear!

Do you wonder why you joined this 90-day challenge? Are you seeing your results but wondering if anyone else has noticed?

^This^ is exactly how it happened when I started. I did notice the changes, then my coworkers, then the people I only saw occasionally. I'm not going to lie, it's fabulous when someone notices, it is motivation to keep up the fight! You can do it, you can all do it! Yes it's hard sometimes, but if it was easy then everyone would do it, right?

Challenge: Week 3

I can barely wait for it to be nice enough (in my mind, at least) to get out there and go walking again. This will boost my calories burned and a bigger daily deficit, no matter how big or small, will help me to achieve my goals! Of coarse it has to go and SNOW this week, but next week's weather looks promising. (I have also been considering running again but I'm still not sure about that one.)

Three weeks in and I am now down four pounds. For me, this is great because I am not just at the beginning of my journey. I am well into my weight-loss and as you lose more weight, it gets harder to lose without making adjustments to what worked in the beginning. Since I don't want to cut any calories from my plan, I need to ensure that my daily goals are exceeded more often then not in order to lose. I would be happy to meet five pounds by day 30.

I would love to hear from anyone who has joined in this challenge as to what sort of progress you are making. Please feel free to message me any time. And, if you would like to read more about my successes and failures, please read on about the week, otherwise see you next week!

Day 15 - I reigned myself in on what was supposed to be my "self-sabotage" day as the past four days had been disastrous so I didn't feel that I could afford to be bad. Still I did not count calories, but chose to eat mostly healthy options (and a peanut butter marshmallow square 😉).

Day 16 - Two job day! Our employer supplied lunch today: Lasagna and Italian salad. Delicious! I chose the vegetarian option not only for the lower fat content but because I love the vegetarian version. I still went over on my food intake I burned far more then I took in.

Day 17 & 18 - The weekend. . .these never turn out all that well, but Saturday proved to be a perfectly balanced day, and Sunday was great as extra calories were burned at work. The weather is still cool, but I am looking forward to being able to go for a walk soon. It's still a wee bit cool for my taste and probably a little too icy and wet in places.

Day 19 - Since I didn't take the time to prep food for lunches this weekend, today turned out to be not-so-good. So I'm just gonna say I don't wanna talk about it.

Day 20 - Finally a day as it should be! I resisted the urge to have a Starbucks iced coffee this afternoon which was great to keep my day in check. I still haven't done any pre-prepping but I am trying my best to make sure the healthy options are easily accessible over the not so healthy ones.

Day 21 - Today was great! Today was as it should be. Properly placed snacking and somewhat appropriate meals but then we went to a movie and there was inappropriate popcorn! Probably not the best choice the night before weigh-in. I did resist the urge to get nachos which is big for me.

I'm not sure about continuing the day by day updates as they are not exactly an entertaining read. I will still try to keep you up to date on my 90-day challenge and I hope you will keep me updated on yours.

Challenge: Week 2, Not So Good

I know you are probably only tuning in for the results so I guess I will indulge you. After a week with many days where I didn't do as well as I wanted, I didn't lose anything at all. I can't be mad though because at least I did not gain anything.

For those of you who have joined in this 90-day challenge, if you feel like you need a hand figuring out a plan, please feel free to send me a message. Even if you are not a part of the challenge, I am willing to help you too. I want everyone to succeed as I know how hard it can be. I can't guarantee results but I can offer you advice and support.

If you want to read more about my day to day successes and struggles (heavier on the struggles this week), please continue reading on.

Day 8 - Today was my cheat day. And while I fully enjoyed everything I ate and drank coffee I felt super tired earlier than normal. I can't help but think that it's from the food. After all I'm sure you've read as I have, that when you eat bad you feel bad. I am okay with that though, because tomorrow it's back to normal. Eating good and feeling good!

Day 9 - I slept horribly! Awake 4 times, restless 18 times as per my Fitbit sleep report. Why am I adding this to my "journal"? I can't help but wonder if this was from eating bad last night.

I was hungry this morning. . .after breakfast I mean. I had a hard time making it to lunch! I will probably have to work on my morning snacks. My intake ended up about 100 calories over for the day, but I still had a small deficit so I will not allow myself to be unhappy about my day.

Day 10 - Great breakfast, great lunch, then I worked the game. The plan was to have a snack at the game, then something good when I got home. Today the plan didn't work! We got pizza on the way home, d'oh! I only had a little but it still puts me over by 100 calories, however I still had a better deficit today then yesterday as it was a 10,000 step day. (Oh, and these kind of indiscretions call for Fat Fighters!!!)

Day 11 - The day started great, but then my mom wanted to go out for dinner so we went to Swiss Chalet. . .and I had fries. Bad bad yummy fries!!! Weekends are hard sometimes, especially about once a month! ;) I did manage to off the urge to add some chips and dip later in the evening.

Day 12 - Oh my! Full on cravings and I wanted to eat EVERYTHING! I snacked on the best choices I could but again ended about 300 calories over. AND I forgot to take my Fat Fighter.

Day 13 - The wanting to eat constantly continued! I was hungry all day! BUT this should be the last day and then back to normal. For dinner I threw some frozen peppers and onions, a can of Rotel diced tomatoes, and frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker with some Epicure Fajita seasoning, and voila! Supper was ready to eat when we got home. Yum!

Day 14 - Today was supposed to be better. It wasn't. I considered not having my Slurpee but that would just be wrong! Tomorrow is supposed to be my cheat day but I might have to reign myself in, especially since the day after also promises a bit of badness.

So, do I think the Thermofit and Fat Fighters helped? YES! I'm sure I would have had a gain without them! I will keep on going, I will do my best, and I will not let a bad week derail my plans. You know, despite the bad week, I was actually feeling good about my body. Yes, it is a work in progress, but how often do you look in the mirror and see the positives instead of the negatives?

Challenge: Week 1, Results - Woo hoo!

I am so happy that so many people are joining me on this journey. The response to my 90-day challenge has been surprising.  Yes, many are doing it without the products that I love so much, but a few are using the products to help them on their own journey.

It Works products like Formula FF (Fat Fighter) and Ultimate Thermofit are intended to enhance your results with a balanced diet and exercise. They ARE NOT intended to replace those things! You can't eat cheeseburgers daily and expect to lose weight! So I am using them along with diet (no exercise yet) to help me curb the cravings and block some of the fat and carbs I eat from being absorbed into my body. And I did manage to lose 2 1/2 pounds this week! Yay me!!! (And yay you if you are doing this too!)

What's 2 1/2 pounds? Well, it may not seem like much, but just imagine losing 2 1/2 pounds a week for four weeks. . .that's 10 pounds! Would you be happy losing 10 pounds? Probably! :)

So, how was your week? Mine was pretty decent.

Day One - I did well with no food struggles. I had a craving for something sweet so I grabbed one mini-peanut butter cup. Craving satisfied with a 44 calorie treat. I also went to Costco to make sure that my fridge was full of good choices.

Day Two - Pre-planned self sabotage day!!! AKA cheat day. Yes, I know this seems early in the week to have my cheat day, but I had previously made plans to celebrate Jon Bon Jovi's birthday with a friend. Our plans involved a dinner of KFC chicken and fries, a Sorrentos feta salad and garlic breadsticks, and, since Jon Bon Jovi's birthday was this week, Jeanne's birthday cake! And don't forget some alcohol!

Day Three - Back to being good. A successful food day overall. My day included a piece of leftover KFC chicken and two small pieces of deli-pizza. That's what Fat Fighters are for! Even without Fat Fighters, my calorie intake for the day was reasonable, and I didn't go hungry.

Day Four - Prep day! I need to make sure that food during the week is easily available to pack for work. I had some kale chips in larger bags, so I measured them into single servings to take to work and have readily available for snacks in my desk. I cooked a few chicken breasts and cut them up into bite-size pieces so that I can easily add them to a salad or warm up for lunch with a side dish. I had  purchased a kale salad that I tossed for lunches (add feta and I absolutely love this salad).  I also bought Gardenburgers earlier in the week which I can quickly cook in the evening and reheat in my mini-crockpot for lunches. Calorie-wise, great day again!

Day 5 - Great day! I ate well, and had an almost perfect calorie intake. I had a brief moment at 7-11 when I though about buying something junky to snack on but quickly decided I didn't need it and also didn't snack at all that evening!

Day 6 - Still great! It was a two job day so I made sure that I packed enough snacks (plus there's always spare snacks in my desk), and I purchased a foot-long sub that was my lunch and supper. I stopped at the McDonalds drive-thru on the way home from job two to pick up chicken burgers for lunch. I thought "I could get a hamburger and scarf it down and no one would know", but I would know, and I also knew I didn't need it and that bad choice would be a waste of a successful day.

Day 7 - Still strong. Knowing my next "cheat-day" is tomorrow makes it a little easier to get through the day.

So I kept this diary of my days to show you that there are always struggles and temptations that you can get past, however, this week turned out pretty uneventful. Next week should be a whole other story!!!

How I Lost 50 Pounds

So as you likely know, once upon a time, I lost 50 pounds. . .and actually the secret truth is that I lost 60. I am not proud that I had that much weight to lose, but I'm proud that I lost it. Yes, I gained 10 back but that seems to be the easiest spot to maintain and I am happy with it.

I don't have many before/after pics, this is the best I can do!

I am not here to preach about how to lose weight, or what the best method is to do it.  The best way is the way that works for you.

However, I will tell you this.  You have to be ready to do it.  There's telling yourself you're ready when you are not.  And then there is actually BEING ready.  

If you are not really ready you will know fairly soon. You will figure "I'll just have a little" of something and instead it turns into having a whole lot of that something.  I'm not saying that isn't going to happen even when you are actually ready.  It's just that when you're not ready, that whole lot will turn into a whole lot more and into a series of bad days until you realize that you weren't ready.  

When you really are ready you will realize what you have done and behave after that one bad day, or you won't let that day get that bad to begin with.

So where did I start?  I really started paying attention to what I was eating.  This does not mean that I ate "healthy" food, I still ate mostly my regular food.  Instead of having seconds, I would only eat firsts!  I would take one serving only.  For example, if the box says one serving equals 3/4 cup, I only took 3/4 cup.  One piece of meat, or two if it was smaller.  One cup of cereal with 1/2 cup of milk and so on.  

My thoughts. . .everything in moderation! You want chocolate, have chocolate. . .just eat 1/2 of the chocolate bar (put the rest in a Ziploc bag for the next time or give it away so it can't tempt you - everyone at work wants the other half of my chocolate bar). You want chips, eat chips. . .just take one small bowl. The best thing I own is a digital kitchen scale, then I can measure just one serving.  Moderation is key, if you deprive yourself you will eventually snap and binge. This way you can factor a little "cheat" into your day and not feel guilty!

I ate fast food!  I didn't usually eat a giant burger and fries (I admit it happened occasionally), I just got that one thing I really wanted.  Maybe a burger one time, fries another time.  I did LET myself have that bad day once in a while though (usually once a week).  Then I returned to my good days.

Now this worked for me, I'm not saying it will work for you.  You might not agree with my way. Maybe you want to do it differently, perhaps a "real" diet, or cutting carbs, or trying to be a vegetarian or maybe trying Paleo (this one interests me but is extremely difficult due to nut allergies in my household).  But if you are wondering how I did it then that was it. I have also fallen off the "food" wagon many times, but when a few pounds creep back on, I go back to being good.