Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

When I started watching this video, I thought Riffraff67 was a cute little guy and I was going to enjoy watching him play Dance Central 2. It was a song I haven’t played yet, so I was just interested is seeing how the moves went, but I found myself entranced by Riffraff67’s dancing!

While I was watching this video, everything I had thought about this guy at the beginning evaporated like water spilled on a hot stove. I thought he was cute and kinda cuddly before the video started, but afterward, I thought he was a DANCE GOD!

The next time you feel like you’re not in good enough shape to do something, remember Riffraff67’s dancing. With enough practice, it doesn’t matter what your body looks like. All that matters is how good you can do what you are doing. Whatever it is that you like to do, get out there and practice! Practice! Practice until you can do it with such grace and skill that no one can argue with how awesome you are.

I saw this motivational poster on Healthy Is Classy the other day and I really liked it.

It reads:

Success doesn’t happen overnight. Keep your eye on the prize and don’t look back.

-Erin Andrews

I realize that healthy weight loss should be slow and consistent to keep my body (and my mind) from going into starvation mode. Yet, at the same time, I want to be at my goal weight YESTERDAY. Not just now, yesterday. Part of that is the keeping the “eye on the prize” concept. Thinking about being at goal weight makes me want to be there NOW.

Additionally, I’ve been looking back far too much lately. I’ve been trying to remember what has worked best for me, but if it had really worked, I wouldn’t be where I am now. If Weight Watchers had really been a “lifestyle change” like they advertised, then I would have been at my goal weight a long time ago and still be there. Instead, I floundered and struggled until I started eating low carb on my own.

In the end, I need to create a eating and exercise plan that works for ME and stick to it, no matter what the naysayers say.

I found this funny card on Fit Villains the other day.

It reads:

Losing weight is hard…

And the last time I checked, calling someone “fat” does not make it any easier.

It’s so true, but the person who keeps berating me is within my own head. As the saying goes:

It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.

-Sally Kempton

I just need to remind myself constantly that calling myself “fat” OBVIOUSLY doesn’t help. If it did, I would be stick thin after thirty years of this abuse. Every time I catch me berating myself, I need to stop it and remember this.

As angry as I have been with Nike in the past, I still enjoy how inspirational their advertisements are. I found this one on work sweat achieve.

It reads:

We gave up giving up.

I need to make this my mantra. If I’m sick of starting over, I need to STOP quitting. If I repeat this to myself enough times, I’m sure I will eventually get it in my head and keep going even when I don’t want to.

220.9: It’s what my scale read this morning and the number shocked me out of the haze I’ve been in for months upon months. I’ve allowed stress to overtake my existence and used food to deal with it instead of exercise and meditation, and THIS is the result.

It’s not like it was a surprise. None of my clothes fit. I’ve weighed myself and started to eat healthy and track my food several times over the last three months. Each time, however, I abandoned my food log and exercise tracker within days.

But now, 220.9…

It’s not that it’s a particularly even number. It’s not like 220 is a magic limit that once I hit it, a panic sets in. That panic set in ages ago and I’ve lived with that panic for so long that it seems commonplace. “I’m too fat!” the voice screams in my head every minute of every day. It’s not like I can escape that voice because it’s my own internal dialogue.

220.9…

It’s not like it’s the highest weight I’ve been. I originally started this journey at 232 pounds, weighed on the Weight Watchers scale at my sister’s place of employment. We joined together and we both saw some success, but eventually, the starvation and hunger pangs overtook me and I couldn’t follow that low fat program anymore.

220.9…

Actually, my best success was when I still attended Weight Watchers meetings, but followed a low carb diet. I stayed under their points, but I did it by eating low carb without hunger. I really thrived with weekly accountability and a low carb diet, but I refuse to go back. Weight Watchers have gotten enough of my money and a bitter pill inside me is still feels that they lied to me.

220.9…

But low carb on my own just didn’t work. I wasn’t hungry, but I did have cravings for bread, sugar and any other carb you could imagine. Something about the weekly weigh-ins at Weight Watchers really helped me, but I don’t know how to recreate them without shelling out twelve bucks a week for the privilege of being taught all the wrong things about nutrition.

220.9…

All I know is that the weight gain has to STOP. I am logging my food again. I am committing to exercise every single day. I am dealing with my stress with meditation, journal writing and sunlight. I feel alone and lost in the world and I wish there was some magic cure to this all, but for now, I’m doing what I know works and looking for additional options along the way.

I absolutely love this motivational photo:

It reads:

The distance between dreams and reality is discipline.

Time and time again, we see that society rewards those who have discipline, whether it’s to put down the cake, run the extra mile or put in the overtime at work. If you want to be successful, you must be able to put aside your happiness now for rewards in the future.

The next time you’re tempted to eat poorly or skip your workout, remember this phrase: The distance between dreams and reality is discipline. You can make your dreams come true, but you have to stick to your program.

Photo via: I CAN DO IT

Healthy is Classy posted this thought:

“I” am the only difference between fit and fat.

I loved it so much, I made an info graphic for it using the photos from Jennifer Hudson’s transformation.

Every time I feel like giving up, I find something like this to keep me going.

Photo via: Jennifer Hudson: Before & After we heart it

The next time you think that you don’t have time to exercise, cook healthy meals or log your food, you need to realize that your argument is invalid.

Why?

Because if you really wanted to exercise, cook or log, you would MAKE the time to do it.

You need to erase the phrase, “I don’t have time,” from your vocabulary. Instead, you need to rephrase your thought to “It’s not a priority.”

• It’s not a priority to exercise.
• It’s not a priority to cook healthy meals.
• It’s not a priority to log my food and activity every day.

When you rephrase your excuses in this manner, you realize that “I don’t have time,” is just an excuse. Plan ahead. MAKE time.

You don’t have time? WRONG!

Your argument is invalid.

Via:

• Pinterest / Search results for someone busier than you
• Erase “I Don’t Have Time” from Your Vocabulary

I love this animated GIF from everyday i’m workin’ it.

It reads:

Your greatest competition is yourself.

It’s true. When I compare myself to others, I always defeat myself. I get so discouraged that I don’t want to continue. But, when I compare myself to how I was yesterday, it’s easy to beat that goal. If I focus on beating my past self, then I feel motivated and keep on task a lot longer.

Remember:

The only person standing in your way is you.

The next time you’re feeling down because you want to look like or do something that someone else can do, STOP it. Remember yourself from two months ago, are you better now? If not, get off your butt and make that happen. You can beat your best score or longest exercise streak. The game of comparing yourself to others, however, is one you can never win.

Via: everyday i’m workin’ it.

I found this little animated GIF from A healthy fitness / weightloss blog

It reads:

Hungry for living not junk food.

Hungry for success not junk food.

Hungry for sexiness not junk food.

Hungry for confidence not junk food.

Hungry for health not junk food.

Hungry for strength not junk food.

Hungry for power not junk food.

Hungry for accomplishment not junk food.

Hungry for fun not junk food.

Hungry for flirt not junk food.

Hungry for rest not junk food.

Hungry for company not junk food.

Many times we are hungry, but we don’t know why. There were so many times when I felt REALLY hungry, even though I had just eaten. Now, some of the blame for that was the fact that I was eating a high carb diet, but sometimes, I was just bored or sad.

The next time you’re tempted to eat something when you KNOW you’re not really hungry, STOP yourself and find out what you’re really hungry for.