Skinny is Not as Easy in the Cold

Nothing is more demotivating to me than cold weather. No wonder it’s so hard to lose weight during the holidays… my body wants to stay all fat so I can be nice and warm!  Especially now that I’ve lost about 30lbs, I am cold all day, every day. #skinnygirlproblems.

These are my current struggles due to cold, wintery weather:

1.  I don’t want water... AT ALL. Nothing to make me colder is welcome!
2.  I don’t want to leave my bed/couch/car/apartment... whatever it be. I don’t want to leave! I have to force myself to work, which is hard enough on its own, and when it comes to making myself go to the gym? Ugh! Why would I do that when I can be at peace all bundled with my puppies at home? (cuz you want to be a fit, productive, non-pathetic human being.. duh..)
3. Only hot foods allowed. This means NO salads, NO raw nothin’! So much for healthy veggie snacks... I want soups, potatoes and comfort foods.
4.  On the weekends, drinking tends to help keep the cold away… and I’m not talking about water!

For the first time since I started living low glycemic, I have hit an area in my life where I am struggling. Not only did I just move to a new city, start a new job, and leave my support system over in Austin, it all just happens to be right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, and paired with my least favorite weather. Talk about a hurdle!

As much as I am mentally struggling, I must admit, it really hasn’t been that bad. Thankfully, I have put all my new practices into habit for several months now, and I am still maintaining a very good lifestyle. It is true that I haven’t been perfect- but then again, nobody is perfect 24/7.  Aside from the cold weather, I am adjusting to a new “office lifestyle.” While I was used to being in the restaurants all day at Schlotzsky’s, I had learned how to overcome those temptations. Here in the office, there is a new set of temptations. Delicious, daily lunches with co-workers, candy bowls at every admin’s desk, nibbles available at every conference meeting, and the worst? Boredom.  Because I am beginning this new position, there isn’t a set “program” or pattern for me to start into. My trainer doesn’t even come back until next week, so there has been a lot of sitting around and reading books and information on petrochemicals. Understand my pain?

I think previously, it’s been easy to resist all the snacks and goodies because I was busy and on the go. The past 3 weeks, the boredom is creeping in and it’s making a terrible chocolate monster out of me! How do people go around without snatching little chocolates off the admin’s desks every time you pass by!? How cruel is that… couldn’t they put up a little bowl of carrots or something? This is an obstacle I need to overcome. I know that soon I will be extremely busy and thankfully, done with the days with my nose stuck in “Petrochemicals in Nontechnical Language” but gosh I am struggling!  

I do know that I will pull through this. I am a full on exercise addict now, so I know that habit is around for the long haul. I have picked up hot yoga, and have started doubling up on my work outs. Hot yoga in the morning, training at night. Not only that, but I walk EVERYWHERE. I am in a place where everything is within walking distance, so I am staying much more active on a daily basis. The best part is knowing that once I cleanse my systems of sugars again, I will no longer have those cravings and it will be much easier to resist the demon office candies.  That’s the great part of having gone through Jeremy’s nutrition class- instead of falling into a lusty black hole of chocolates, pumpkin pies and sugar cookies, I can pick up on my struggle and know exactly what I need to do to fix it. And I know I can do it!

As far as my cold weather struggles, I need some help from my fellow low GI teammates! Tips? Suggestions? What’s working for you? I am cold and missing my world of delicious coffee and pumpkin spice lattes! Let me know what has helped you all in this season.

My vision for this holiday season:

Steamed veggies, baked apples, and hot teas are all the comfort foods I need this season.  My zucchini noodles make for great holiday meals, and a perfect substitute for pasta. Rather than bonding with my family by gorging on gluttonous pies and stuffing, we participate in active bonding activities instead. Going for walks around the lake, family gym sessions, and maybe even some good old holiday shopping. (at least shopping is active!) Just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean I don’t need to work out; if anything, it’s a time to be thankful for my body and good health, and show my body that I have respect for myself and consideration for the things I put in my mouth. I use holiday seasons as a time to be grateful for my family, my body, my health, my friends, etc; not as an excuse to gorge myself on unhealthy things that make me very unthankful for the holiday season and the decisions that I made during it. I live a healthy life, full of wisdom and good decisions- even if I do sneak the occasional dark chocolate every once in a while!  

Act Like You Need It To Breathe

I watched this video, in search of material to prepare for a "motivational" meeting I am putting on tomorrow at work, and this one example really stood out to me. This ridiculously exaggerated "Soul Preacher" guy is talking to a group of students about success. He tells a story of this man having his head held under water while he desperately struggles to fight for his life. As he begins to feel himself slipping away, the man releases him and he is able to come up for an urgent gasp of air. The man asks him, when he was under water, what was the one thing he wanted more than anything? His answer, was to breathe. All he could think of was his need to breathe. That's how badly you need to want success to achieve it. Like you need it, to breathe. 

The obsession. The pure focus, the single minded, hunger driven, absolute desire to pursue and achieve your goals. You need to want it more than you want to sleep. More than you want to party. More than you want to be cool. More than you want to EAT. 

It's so frustrating to me, to watch these videos and read these articles telling you the keys to success. We know what needs to be done. We know we need to want it. We know we need to believe in it. Sure, you can watch all the motivational speeches in the world, but that STILL won't tell you how to convince yourself.

How do you get yourself to want it more than anything? How can I get myself to be obsessed? How do I make sure that I REALLY want it? How do people manage to brainwash themselves so desperately that they're sole focus is to succeed? 

These are the questions I keep trying to find the answers to every time I set my weight loss goals. How can I want it more than I already do? Am I so afraid of success? How can I sell myself on this?

Today was a day of refocus. I've been good, I'm still on track, but today was definitely one of the harder days. After a rough day at work, reminding myself of why I should be good, why I shouldn't eat that, why I should go work out was especially difficult. Writing it out and re reading and re reading is my only solution. Surround yourself in the obsession. Write about it. Dream about it. Fantasize about it. Talk about yourself like you're already there. 

Todays vision:

I am 120 lbs, and in the best shape of my life. I breathe confidence and success, and only take steps toward bettering my life in every way. I have a booming career in marketing, in which I am totally full of passion for. I am in the beginning stages of a budding relationship, with a man who has goals and a passion and enthusiasm for life that drives me to want to be a better person. Together, we stay fit, challenging each other to keep active by working out, camping, hiking, kayaking and enjoying the beauty of the world together. I surround myself with positive people who only influence my life for the better. The choices I make for myself bring joy and happiness on a daily basis. I have something to smile about every day, even on the rough days. I love myself, I love my body, and I am truly in love with the life I have single handedly created and chosen for myself. I have control of every choice I make.