Be Careful What You Say (Day 670)

Hi all!

Happy Tuesday! How are you all today? It is a warm but beautiful day here. So is it weird that I am really excited for this hiring event I'm going to on Friday night? But I really really want the weekend to be here because I'm going to a Brewers/Rockies game on Saturday night in Denver. :) I haven't been to a baseball game yet this year, so I am freaking excited!

Let me tell you, it is so incredibly nice to not be overly stressed out about school. The past few weeks have been so busy and stressful because of finals and other papers. Even though I still have homework it's only 1 discussion and 1 paper, that will seem like nothing compared to what I was use to. And it's crazy to think about but as long as I don't fail any of my classes, I will be graduating in 9.5 months!! Plus I only have 13 classes left, I'm way too excited.

I was thinking today about something really important. Parents, what you say about yourself around your children really does matter. What brought this up you ask? Well my mom text me a picture of her new glasses today and asked me what I thought. I told her that I loved the glasses but it would be better if she was smiling in the picture. She responded saying that she has a weird smile and she doesn't like it. That really made me think about my life. Looking back at my life, my mom has always said negative things about herself. There's no doubting that she is self-conscious because she weighs more than she would like to be. I personally believe that what a mother says about herself, a daughter will believe about herself. And it's the same with father's and sons. When I was a teenager and young I would base my worth on physical things because my mom would say negative things about herself physically.

I may not be a parent but if God does decide to bless me with children I hope that I exhibit confidence and only say positive things. Growing up I struggled a lot with my self-image and I don't want to aid in any self-confidence or image problems. Don't get me wrong, my mom has always told me how beautiful I am, no matter what I weighed. But seeing how she viewed herself was a greater driving force than what she told me.

So please remember, be careful what you say about yourself in front of your children or anyone in that matter. You have no idea how much it can affect them. But anywho... homework time. I hope you all have an amazing evening! So until next time!

~Sara~

Self-Image (Day 533)

Hi all!

Happy Friday! How is everyone doing on this lovely day? It's a little chilly here, but we have a high of 37 today, so I'm not complaining. :) Today I am feeling really wonderful, refreshed, motivated, happy. Not really sure why, but I am. And I thought, I haven't shared a picture with you all in awhile. Don't mind the lazy clothing and no make-up, because it is a very lazy day today. These pants that I have on are my size 24's that I'm saving for my comparison picture in the future. The legs are freakishly huge on me, but it's a lazy day, so it's okay. :)

Yesterday, not long after I posted my blog, I got a phone call from Abid. :) Oh, you have no idea how happy that made me. His job has kept him very busy over the past week. It saddens me, the conditions that he has to work in. When he got the job his hours were suppose to be 11 am until 8 pm, that's not so horrible. But he hasn't been getting home from work until much later than that. Yesterday he called me at 2:40 am, his time and he didn't get home from work until about 1:40 am. And it's not that he lives that far from where he works, it is that he is working more hours than he was suppose to, every single day. I can hear the exhaustion in his voice and it brings me to tears. He is working so hard and earning so little, but that is what he is doing for our future together. Oh, I love that man so very much. But on a happier note, my mother will be printing out the finished paperwork for Abid's petition. All I need to do is sign it and get the money together and then send it in. The process will be starting very soon. :)

Today is another low carb day, thank God. Those high carb days are a lot of work. I still need to work on that protein, but after talking to my mom, we're buying some protein powder tomorrow. So my protein numbers will be much higher next week, but my other numbers were pretty good yesterday. I even stayed within my calorie range! :) I'm really starting to get use to this carb cycling thing, and I'm loving it! I feel sort of funny saying this after NSV Thursday yesterday, but I'm really excited for my weigh-in on Sunday. Here is a recap of my day yesterday:

Type	Carbs	Protein	Fats
Total	404	404	86
Used	340	70	77
Left	64	334	9

This morning I received this awesome email from SparkPeople, included in the email was this awesome article. The article was about how to boost your body image, here's the link: http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1760. It was an article that I first read back in June of last year but it was wonderful to read again. This is one of those articles that I save and look back on from time to time. It is all about self-love and accepting yourself no matter what size you are. And I want to share the tips from the article on how to boost your body image every day:

1. Find one thing to compliment yourself on every day.

2. Wear clothing that fits well and makes you feel great.

3. Exercise

4. Nourish your body with foods that will keep it functioning well.

5. Thank your body with some pampering.

6. Every time you receive a compliment, write it down in a journal.

7. Don't join in the complaint brigade

8. Stop negative self-talk immediately.

And here are some tips to boost your body image over time:

1. Experiment with mind-body exercises.

2. Ask your friends and loved ones what they enjoy most about you.

3. Explore and appreciate your personal strengths.

4. Take stock and marvel at what your body is capable of doing, not matter what size it is.

5. Who do you look up to, admire, or seek as role models?

6. Become media savvy.

7. Consider throwing the scale away. 

These are tips that I try to remember each day, especially since I still have a ton of weight to lose. But self-image is important at any weight. We need to love ourselves now, it is so insanely important. I know women who are at a healthy weight who have a horrible self-image of themselves. So just remember, being at a specific weight will not make you love yourself.

I am so very excited for this weekend, my best friend is coming home for a visit! And then she'll be back home again for Easter! :) I miss her a ton, even though I saw her about a month ago and I talk to her at least once per week. But I miss her nevertheless. So I'm excited to have a coffee date with her tomorrow morning and really catch up! :)

But I have some discussion posts to respond to and a paper to finish. Not to mention a ton of blogs to catch up on. So until next time!

~Sara~

Sabotage and March goals (Day 526)

Hi all!

Happy Friday! How is everyone doing today? It's officially March 1st, and how does the weather like to welcome it? Well it decided to snow here for a few minutes! Seriously?!? Wisconsin obviously has not gotten the memo that it's March now. So the snow is definitely not appreciated. But other than that, it's a beautiful day, mid 20's and the sun is shining a little.

But today I want to talk about something serious that I was thinking about last night and this morning. Sabotage. *dun dun dun* I'm going to talk about it in all of it's forms. First, what exactly is sabotage? According to dictionary.com sabotage is any underhanded interference with production, work, etc... So in this case it is anything or anyone that interferes with your weight loss/fitness goals. I have come up with my top three forms of sabotage.

1. Self-sabotage

2. Sabotage from significant other/family

3. Sabotage from friends 

First I'll talk about self-sabotage, and I think this one is the most prevalent (at least in my life). I see this one in my life all the time (no matter how much I may deny it). For me I think that sometimes I wish I could stay the way that I am because then I have an excuse on why I don't get a certain job, why someone doesn't like me, or just because being over weight is all that I know. Honestly, I don't know what it's like to be at a healthy weight. Or what it's like to be able to go into any store and try on clothes and know that they'll look good on me (That's never happened in my adult life). Staying over weight is staying within my comfort zone. It means I have an excuse for certain things. I guess that when I do reach a healthy weight, I still won't be perfect ( okay okay, I know that I'll never be perfect but I am a perfectionist, so I still strive for it). I'll still have flaws, physical, emotional, and spiritual. 

One thing I'm really working on is loving myself now (I'm this big advocate of it, especially to my friends who think they need to do certain things to be beautiful). I guess I've gotta take my own advice, huh? Don't get me wrong, most days I do feel beautiful. But there are those certain days where the little voices in my head come around and tell me how I'm not beautiful because of this or that flaw. I'm definitely a work in progress and thankfully I have more good than bad days with this. 

Second is sabotage from our significant other or by family members. This happens way too often as well (my family is guilty of it). If it is from our significant other, sometimes they sabotage us unconsciously  They don't want us to change because more often then not, if you're changing this part of you're life then they might be next. I am very thankful that Abid does not fear that, because he is the most supportive man. :) Now when it comes to family, it can be hard. Of course they want the best for you but some times they are jealous, especially if it's people of the same sex. Or other times it's just because they don't want you to change, they are use to the way you are. (Personally, I think that if most of a family is over weight then they are afraid that things will change because the focus may not always be about food). 

Third is sabotage from our friends or sometimes "friends". Let's be honest here, our true friends will support us in becoming healthier. But we all have those "friends", they aren't loyal to us, they say bad things about us behind our back (or sometimes to our faces), and yet we still consider them a "friend". Those are the friends I'm talking about here. Many times in this case, the person is jealous, especially if you were always considered "the fat friend". 

And since it's March, it's time to come up with some monthly goals. Honestly, I love coming up with goals for myself. I may not reach all of my goals every month but at least I have something that I'm working towards. So here are my goals for March.

Nutritional Goals:

1. Follow my carb cycling guidelines

2. Eat at least 5 fruits and veggies every day

3. Limit my sweets (only Sunday when the family is over)

4. Drink at least 100 oz of water every day

Fitness Goals:

1. Walk at least 20 minutes at least 4 time per week

2. Start strength training (upper body at least for the time being)

3. Do all of my PT recommended exercises

Weight Loss Goals:

1. Lose 3 pounds

2. Lower my body fat % 

Other Goals:

1. Finish physical therapy for my back/hip

2. Get the petition for Abid's visa filed

3. Continue rocking my class

4. Order my bridesmaid dress

5. Plan more of my own wedding

Time to head out to dinner with my parents. Have a great night everyone! Until next time.

~Sara~