Extreme Effort = Extreme Results

Being transparent this morning...Here are some thoughts and things I'm trying...

I share often that it is so hard for me to drop a pound or two. In fact it took me a month to drop 3...and then one weekend of lack of planning...I'm up 1-2. I realize that for myself, now in the 2nd phase of my P90X hybrid, my weight may fluctuate as I am focused on building muscle.  I am paying close attention to inches. My first month of this workout program, I lost an inch off my waist! :)



Up on Rancheria - scouting out
for some deer w/ dad!


Over this last weekend, major lack of planning. A 3 hr. road trip up Rancheria Rd. to the mountains WITHOUT my own snacks...I ate my lean meal before we left at 5 p.m. But on the way down, I was snacking on 'THE KIDS' FOOD': a granola bar, some pretzels, and....some alphabet cracker/cookie things. (Which I never typically have in my house, but bought on a day that we were at Lassens just cuz...ugh!)

Rule #1 - DON'T BRING JUNK IN THE HOUSE!

Yesterday, I packed a lunch for the boys to have just in case we made it to the park after church. What do you normally take as a picnic lunch: pb sandwich? Yep, that's what I do. I did pack my own chicken breast & apple. But the kids had the pb sandwich (no jelly, they don't like it & I don't like all the added sugar). I had a couple bananas....and pretzel. I was so good to just eat my chicken & apple (right when we got out of church). I did good!

Rule #2 - PLAN AHEAD & PACK YOUR MEALS!

Saturday, made an appt. at 8:30 a.m. Now why would I do this? This is too early to have to get out of the house & fit my workout in. So what happened? I missed a killer cardio workout to burn 600-700 cal. Now, if I'm on a mission to keep that pound off that I lost the week before, I cannot miss this workout. But I did!

Rule #3 - KEEP YOUR APPT. TO WORKOUT!

Now realizing that I was going to miss my workout, I was proactive....When I got ready for the day, I put my workout clothes on! I was ready for any opportune time to work out! And I did get some exercise that day when we took the boys out to the bike path. Daniel on his bike, Jacob in his stroller & our tennis shoes on. And thank God I wore them...Daniel took off numerous times on his bike, and what I thought was going to be a walk, turned into multiple short sprints to catch up with him. Not sure who he was racing, but I had to bolt to catch up with him before he got to the hills, the intersections, and close to being out of sight.

Rule #4 - If you can, wear your workout clothes so that you have one less obstacle to getting your workout on!!!!

By the end of Sunday, I was feeling frustrated with myself. I spent all of last month focused on trying to drop a couple..and in one weekend I can easily lose the ground I gained. So I said, it's time to get extreme w/ the little things that are getting in the way of me getting the best results!!! The kids' food!

I have found that I mindlessly take bites...and I don't add these up at the end of the day. So as a result:





Rule #5 - DON'T EAT THE KIDS' FOOD!

So as a visual aid & an experiment, I am going to stick every bite of their food that I would normally eat. So far today, by 8 o'clock, there were 3 bites of oatmeal & the crust of buttery toast in the jar. Why so many bites? Well, as a reflex, after I stir in butter & honey, I usually take a bite to 'taste it to make sure it taste good for them'. Then, I stick the hot bowl of oatmeal in the freezer to cool for a minute. Then I stir it and take another bite to see if it's cooled down...and if it's hot...I put the bowl back & repeat. Then as I made Daniel's toast, I cut the top crust off to 'get it out of the way'...and yep, I normally eat this.

Now, just doing this little experiment, I have avoided 7 bites of buttery carbs. And I realize, it's out of reflex. I just put food to my mouth and eat....mindlessly. So, I will be MINDFUL today & see how much food I avoid!

You learn a lot about why you can't drop a pound or two when you:

1. Have workouts scheduled (and miss).
2. Are trying to watch what you eat.
3. Keep a calendar of events.
4. Have days jammed pack of activities.
5. And don't plan ahead for your outings.
6. Are in the kitchen too long! :)

Since I have 2 more months of this hybrid...I gotta make it count. Why devote 60 more days of killer workouts and NOT eat accordingly???? If you want extreme results, you gotta put out extreme effort & that's just what I've gotta do!

Who is with me?