Here we go... again.

I started this blog a couple years ago called "The Vanity 10," and needless to say, I never lost those 10 vanity lbs. Well, I shouldn't say that... let's say, I lost 2 of those pounds, gained them back... lost 5-6 of those lbs, gained them back, and so on. So I decided it was time to start over: do something different and focus on what really matters: overall health and well being. Being and feeling healthy, fit, and sexy is not (or at least it shouldn't be) about the number on the scale *repeat mantra to self* If you're like me and don't have a ton of weight to lose, then the scale can be very deceiving. For the past couple of months I have completely overhauled my diet and I exercise at least 4 times a week. And guess what? The number on the scale hasn't budged. But you know what's starting to change? My body shape. And this is simply because I'm putting on muscle.

Building those biceps!

I've been struggling with achieving my ideal body since I can remember. I was always very thin in my teen years. When I was 16, I barely had any body fat. But once I hit my 20's, I started noticing more "curves." As my Mom would say I had a "woman's" body now, not one of a little girl. It makes me want to scream at every 18 year old girl and say "You know how you can eat whatever you want, not exercise, and not gain a pound? Well guess what? It won't last!!!" And now, as I'm entering into the final stretch of my 20's, I'm noticing it's getting even harder... and I've been told at 30, it's all downhill from there. But I'm here to tell you (and more importantly myself) it doesn't have to be!!

I think the hardest part about losing weight and/or getting into shape is consistency. My biggest downfall is the weekends, of course. It's easy to keep a routine during the work week since I make all my food and bring it with me (I RARELY eat out) and dinners are always cooked at home. But once Friday rolls around, it becomes more difficult to stick to that routine. I want to indulge in a meal out, I want to indulge in a few adult beverages, and I may even want to get a frozen yogurt from time to time! The great news is: IT'S OK to indulge once in a while. We've all heard the saying "moderation is key." What's NOT OK is to go binge eating. And I'm definitely guilty of this. Living in Hawaii with a small tight-knit community of friends, we do a lot of get-togethers, birthdays, barbecues, parties, etc. And there's just always an exorbitant amount of food that's usually not very healthy. So I use these occasions as an excuse to gorge myself, and the end result is always the same; I feel guilty, bloated and fat. One thing that is challenging for me is to STOP eating when I'm FULL. Most of us tend to eat too quickly - so considering it takes about 20 minutes for our stomachs to signal our brains that it's full, we're likely surpassing our stomach's capacity before it has time to signal our brain to tell us to "PUT THE FORK DOWN FATTY!" And by the time we get the memo... it's too late. We've over-eaten.

So a couple of quick eating tips:

• Put your fork down between every bite and really chew your food and swallow before you pick it up again for the next. This will help to slow down the rate of consumption and give your stomach more time to signal your brain that it's full.
• This is going to seem odd, but try to make a concerted effort NOT to drink whilst eating. Digestion begins in the mouth with special enzymes in your saliva. Drinking, especially while still chewing, dilutes these enzymes. 
• Instead, drink an entire 8 oz glass of water after you've completed your meal. You'll be amazed how FULL you feel afterwards! 
• You can also try drinking an entire 8 oz glass of water BEFORE you eat to help you feel fuller faster
• Best temperature of water to drink is ICE COLD. Your body has to use more energy (and thus burns more calories) to warm up the water. And let's face it, who wants to drink room temperature water anyway? Yuck! 

So those are just a few tips that I've found help me. I'm still struggling with the consistency thing. But the key is not to beat yourself up if you have a bad day nor to give up. The key is to just keep on going and do better tomorrow.

See my next post about what you can do without stepping foot into a gym!