After,Before and After?

So, before we begin. let me explain....

We have seen everyone's Before and After pics and had that surge of emotion that comes with seeing the dramatic transformation in someone else and think to ourselves, "I CAN DO THIS!!".  The motivation, however, tends to be more fleeting; especially when you are faced with your food nemesis and good old motivation takes a vacation and you are back to where you started.....

NOWHERE.

And maybe you did decide to bite the bullet and go for it with great success and achieve the pinnacle of health that you set out for yourself.  Congratulations!!  You worked hard, said no to food nemesis and got through the tough stuff.  Only to find yourself, so many months or years later back to where you started...or maybe...you are actually worse off than where you started.  This is the cycle so many of us know all too well.

This is where my story begins.  I am worse off than ever before.

I know better.  I have spent my life studying nutrition, I have been a personal trainer, a triathlete, and encouraging others to achieve excellence in themselves, yet I fail myself repeatedly.  WHY IS THAT?

I have learned a couple things about myself along the way.  I really don't like working out alone.  I don't think many of us do.  It is nice to have the energy of others to surround yourself with and honestly its a good distraction from my negative brain.  You know...the one that starts complaining when things start to get uncomfortable or rough.  Also, I am not patient with myself.  I expect immediate results from little work and when I don't see them I use that as an excuse to quit.  And I have this muenstral cycle from hell, the kind that makes my food cravings go berserk, migraines that are debilitating and overall weight gain from breathing air.  So, yes that can be defeating.  Yet, I have also let these things become my crutch.

So, I have decided that I am going to get back to my after, the first one after my first before.  Only, I am not the same person. I don't want to go through what I went through before to get there.  Very strict diet, working out 2-4 times a day...NO--not for me.

This time I want it to be a more balanced approach.  Something that I can myself living with everyday for the rest of my life.  Here is what I have come up with...

Strength training     2-3 times/week     (right now I am doing 2 times until I get built up, then I will add another day, probably in 6 weeks of start)

Cardio                    3-5 times/week      (3 times a week right now, then bump up to 4 then to five.  Nothing specific to training(i.e. intervals, long, short,  etc) just doing it for minumum of 45 minutes, then I will adjust as needed)

FOOD                     I HATE counting calories.  I feel like it takes away from listening to one's own body and after doing it for so many years,  I want nothing to do with it.  So the plan is to watch carb intake instead.  Because I also know I am not a carb burner (there is a really cool test online you can take to see what kind of burner are you http://drkateklemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/The-Metabolic-Type-Self-Test.pdf  This test gives you great insight into your own body, because the best advice you can get is for free and your body gives it to everyday.  You have to learn to listen!!  But, for myself I tend to be pretty much a Paleo diet follower.  I say pretty much, because there are times that I do indulge on a grain or two.  More on that another time!  So, my diet will look very close to this.

• Breakfast:  two pieces of nitrate free bacon, two eggs and one Paleo Muffin.

• Snack:    1/2 apple or pear with Sunbutter (peanut butter is not Paleo because peanuts are legumes)

• Lunch:     Dark leafy green salad with chicken (dark meat!) and balsamic glaze (this will be replaced with a smoothie on the days I workout)

• Snack:     Carrots and hummus or celery sticks with Sunbutter (I LOVE Sunbutter)

• Dinner:      Meat, veggie and sometimes a sweet potato

• Snack:       IF I am dogging, I have a couple low carb 'treats' that get me by (celery stick and Sunbutter, or carrots and hummus, or Protein shake

This isn't going to be your typical weight loss journey blog.  I will blog everyday.  I will document the good, the bad, and the ugly.  I won't fluff anything for so-called 'good press'.  You deserve better than that, I deserve better than that.  I believe in taking a balanced approach, a lifestyle, something that I can live with everyday.  I am not interested in doing what I did to myself last time to achieve the results you see above, which was a VERY LOW LOW calorie restricted diet and working out 2-4 times a day.  NO.  Not for me anymore.  If you do the right things for yourself weight loss will basically end up being a great side effect of good choices.  But don't get me wrong, this will be hard work!!  Hard work because you are literally re-wiring your basic human-being.  You have been used to 'being' a certain way for a certain time and now you are about to shock the shit out of yourself...THERE WILL OBJECTIONS AND BATTLES.  But we are in this together and we are about to kick some serious ass.  

Eat the Whole Egg!!

Btw...shout out to my wonderful friend Annalisa who captured the center photo of me and her husband in deep conversation (probably about cars!) she is an amazing talent check her out at www.simpleannalisa.com