LIttle Eyes Are Watching You

A few months back my MeMe said that my little cousin Diamond would put on outfits and say "Don't I look like Chels?!?" I normally wear sweats that have writing down the side and a t-shirt on and that's exactly what she had on. I've noticed that if I go down there she usually copies what I'm wearing and honestly I don't mind it. I'm glad that I can be one of the people that she looks up to and wants to be like. I remember that I used to do the same exact thing with my mom's sister Brianne. I used to want to dress and copy her every move.

This has been on my mind a lot lately mainly because I think of all the other kids out there who don't have a positive influence in their life. Many of the kids I talk to at the school I go to for Next Generation don't have a person in their life who can help them and guide them. We may be the first and only person to talk to them about life choices. It saddens me that kids these days have role models such as actresses and actors, not that some of them aren't good influences, but there is never any interaction or guidance. In order for someone to have an impact there needs to be an interaction and a relationship.

All this being said, I have been watching what I say, do, and even wear lately because I have little eyes watching me. And believe it or not, there's little eyes watching you too! I want to show them that I am living my life for Christ, I am getting my postgraduate degree, and I make family one of my top priorities. You have to strive to be your best, so that when they get older they can strive to be their best. The next time you're surrounded by those little eyes just watch their actions after you have done or said something, it will open your eyes to more than you ever knew. 

Until tomorrow ....

Do What Works Best for YOU

Once anyone finds out you're trying to lose weight, they want to tell you exactly what you should and shouldn't do. I too find myself doing this too but I've started realizing how annoying it really can get. There is a huge difference between telling versus suggesting. If someone asks for advice then you can suggest different things to them, but don't try to force them to do it. Every person is different in the way they want to exercise, diet and live their life. My suggestion is to form something around you because there are various ways to lose weight.

Technology is HUGE these days. There are many different workouts available through Pinterest, YouTube, or you can simply use google. I found one that I started to help me build up to the Run or Dye 5K that I'm registered for in December. The one that I found was where I don't even run in the first couple of weeks I just simply walk to build up to running. For me this is what works because I haven't been running or exercising consistently. There are also apps that can help keep track of weight, exercise and what you eat. Some of the free one's are: My Fitness Pal, Fooducate, MyLife! and weight watchers has one that's $18.99 a month. My favorite one is MyLife, I find it has more foods than My Fitness Pal, but that's just me. 

Many fads come and go and are really only temporary, what I'm doing is I'm making a lifestyle change and making better food choices. It's really not hard to do start off by implementing water into your diet if it's not because you can lose weight by simply taking 1 soft drink and substituting it with a glass of water. If you don't like plain water there are alternatives to spruce it up. You can add cucumbers/mint leaves (it sounds nasty but until you try it, its actually really good), you can add lemons, limes, or oranges to it (it gives a good flavor and these have been shown to be good fat metabolizers), or any other natural product you can think of.

Just do what works best for you, I'm only here to give suggestions. You can take them or leave them it's up to you because you are in control of what you do. It's not easy to lose weight but it isn't impossible either. Just changing a few things can make a world of a difference. 

Until tomorrow....

I'm doing this for CHELSEY

This post may sound a little unusual for me, but I'm human I can have my moments too. I am usually a very optimistic and positive person, especially when it comes to giving other people advice or being positive for them. On the other hand, when it comes to myself I can be a little bit harder and negative. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE! I need to start treating myself like I treat my friends. In my head I know I'm not perfect but there's just some days where I just want things to be easy.

These past two weeks have been nothing but easy. I had plans of starting to get healthy and work out, well it didn't happen. From my last post I had friends texting me and asking if I wanted to work out. Of course I did because it's easier to work out if you have plans with someone because you can both hold each other accountable. I still have yet to text any of them (I'm sorry if you're one of them) I just was not in the mood. Every day, I mean every day this week I have cried. Whether it was a youtube video, an article, a death or anything I was just an emotional wreck. I'm normally fine after one good cry, but no I had what seems like a million this week. And with emotions comes the eating...I craved the worst foods. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't cut anything out if I try to eat healthier because I say that I can still have something and lose weight. I did not eat a single thing that was right this week. This is going to change. When I get in these funks, yeah I can have some ice-cream or cookies, but I also need to try to incorporate something healthy in there as well.

I know that this will pass and I will get back on track but I have never been off track this much, but it was just a rough week. I want to start making little changes every week because I have found that if you change everything right away then you won't be as successful if you were to change things slowly. It's not only dietary and exercise habits that are going to be implemented, it's going to be body-image therapy as well. It's hard to tell yourself some days that you are beautiful so what I found on Pinterest was a motivation wall. I will probably ask my close friends and family for an encouraging word, compliment, or scripture that I can put up on the wall. (If you have one that you want me to put up there I will put it just leave a comment or text me.) Some may say that I have a big ego...oh well...think what you want, I'm doing this for me and not you.

That last line might have sounded like a rant but it was intentional. I have always put other people ahead of myself and I do not mind it at all. I love it because it drives me and makes me know that I'm living a fulfilling life. I rarely do things for myself, but it's just how I've always been and how I was raised. Now it's time to finally do something for myself. I have always wanted to lose weight to impress my friends or to get a guy or to look a certain way. That is so much more tiring than anything is trying to impress people. If I have to impress someone and drain myself then they aren't a true friend. I know who my friends are because they have always been there no matter how I look. This is just something I want to do for CHELSEY!

Until tomorrow....

New Chapter: Uncertatantites

For some time now I have been telling myself that I need to go to the gym and I need to eat right. I have been doing a lot of pinning on Pinterest lately (you can follow me by clicking here) with recipes and various workout routines. I had the revelation earlier today that I can do all the pinning my heart desires, but I have to take action and the workouts aren't going be done on their own. 

I know one of the main things people struggle with is weight loss because it takes a lot of work and effort, but with goals and people there to encourage you along the way it is a lot easier. I will be posting the workout routines that I am doing and recipes that I will be trying. I'm not doing any fad diet that says I have to cut something completely out of my diet (although this might work for some people, I'm not one of them) I will just simply count calories and do portion control. Now some of you may be asking yourself, how is she going to lose weight if she has a piece of cake every now and then? The thing is, I've done this before, there are birthdays, hormones, and holidays that come around all the time. I have to know when enough is enough! I don't have 10 pieces of cake at a birthday party, I simply ask for a really thin slice and that's all I need. There's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself you just have to be smart about it. 

I will start this new chapter of uncertantites tomorrow because I have no idea what the future holds in this journey. I cannot predict the road blocks that I will hit or the plateaus that I will face, but since I know they will come it will not be as much of a shock and I won't look at it as a set-back it's just an obstacle that I WILL overcome!  

Until tomorrow....

Day 2-3: it wouldn't be a journey without pot holes

So day one went really well except for later that night. I had an asthma attack. Day 2 didn't go because I was sick and my back was starting to hurt. I had to take my albuterol treatment that night because I had yet another asthma attack. My back pain got worse and my chest pain started. I got really scared and tested for the muscle disease that I have and it wasn't looking good. I stocked up on pedialyte (as recommended by my dr) and drank it all night. The next morning I was still feeling pretty rough so I decided to call my pulmonologist and my primary care physician. My pulmonologist wasn't in clinic but said he was gonna come in and see me. I think he learned from last time to just admit me to watch me. My CPK levels were elevated at 955 (they are supposed to be below 250). Around midnight I had bad leg and back pains to where I had to get some pain meds. 

Today is day 3 and I feel a lot better. My levels went down to 866. The doctors have a meeting this morning to discuss what they want to do. A possible muscle biopsy is in discussion (might as well kill 2 birds with one stone). I'm exhausted because every hour they were in here taking vitals, doing a breathing treatment, changing my fluids, turning the alarm off on my machine, or doing bloodwork. I have another blood drawing at 6 tonight. My dr said if it is going down more I can go home early tomorrow morning. God sent me the dr who took care of me when I had my muscle disease when I was 3. He even remembers me so hopefully he will be the advocate for me and try and figure out why I keep relapsing. Thanks for the prayers and support. Until tomorrow....

Day 1: Tougher than I remember

Well today I decided I was gonna crack down on everything: eating and exercising. It was and is still pretty tough. I don't remember last summer being this hard to fight off cravings. I just have to remember that I need to do this for me and the benefits will be so worth it.
Last summer I lost 20 pounds and basically gained it all back but I'm gonna lose my goal weight of 70 pounds. I hope I can lose at least 30 by May, if not no biggie. I'm not depriving myself, nor am I not eating things that I don't want. It's all about portion control and counting calories. I drink water all the time so that's not a problem for me. My thing is keeping myself busy so I don't think about wanting to snack. I do not believe in these crash diets where you only eat once a day or you only drink one thing because your body needs food and once you start eating again the weight will come back fast. I am also doing the couch to 5k program that I found on iTunes.
I not only want to lose weight but I would also love to get back to running again. I did cross country in middle school and the stress that gets released when I ran was the only thing I needed. It's gonna take time but I'm ready to do it!
I heard that blogging about it helps out with the motivation and can help me track my progress. I am also using My Fitness Pal on my iPod Touch to keep track of my calories and my progress. So until tomorrow...