Success Not Perfection

Soo sorry I haven't posted for the last couple of days. This weekend has been proven to be a challenge and I haven't been doing very well on eating healthy. So I have decided that starting now I am going to get back on track. My family is at BJs right now and I'm really glad that I am at home and not where the temptation is. I am so sorry to everyone that has been drawing some strength from my success but I can tell you now that it is ok to mess up, and it is even expected, but it is what we do after we mess up that makes up who we are. I know that most of you reading this blog have been in the exact same place I am right now. Maybe you were on a diet and started eating junk food again, maybe you were working out every day then stopped all of the sudden. Whatever it is you CAN get back on track. If there is something you want to change do it! Tomorrow is not the day you should start on accomplishing your goals. I promise that I won't ask you to do anything that I am not willing to do myself. So here is my new goal: I am only going to have ONE day during the week that I allow myself to be indulgent. For these past 5 weeks it has been the rule that I was allowed to cheat during the weekends and I would be really strict with myself during the week. My reason for changing this is because I haven't been losing weight as fast as I had hoped. I think it always helps to write our goals down and then tell someone else. I have done both by posting here but you don't have to make them public. Maybe you can put it up on your bathroom mirror and tell your significant other or maybe you can hang it up on your fridge and then tell your mom. Whichever goal you decide to make, don't be afraid to succeed. I found a quote about success that I think applies here.

"Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life." -Dr. David M. Burns

Happy Snow Day!

What did I do today? Well I woke up at 8:40 and walked to class when the snow was coming down so much that my whole head got soaked. Then I took an astronomy test and attended my stretch and flex class. after that I met up with my family and we went to the ducks basketball game. That was pretty sweet because we ended up sitting on the floor right next to the president of the U of O. It has been pretty difficult to stay on track with my diet and my family ha ha. I think I did well today considering where I went. At the game we had a suite so I just ate some grilled chicken and salad that was catered. During my stretch and flex class I really had to put a lot of effort in because I am exhausted from this week! I was sitting there doing "serve-it-ups" and I was struggling to say the least. On the bright side I noticed that my butt is looking firmer. I was getting dressed and I caught a glance in my mirror so I looked again and jumped for joy! I don't always feel like I am actually making progress but that definitely made me feel like all of my struggle was worth it. I have realized that I have to consciously make healthier choices if I want to succeed at being healthier. My brother in law Rodney was talking to me and he was saying that this is the point in a diet where things start getting really hard because I have gone without junk food for a while and I will be even more tempted to just tell myself that it is just one cheeseburger or just one cookie. I hope to keep this in mind when I am at the baseball game tomorrow night and when my mom starts cooking. Well hope ya'll have a good day tomorrow and I hope that even if you are not trying to lose weight you can make at least one choice that was healthier than today! Love ya

Weigh in Thursday

So this week I have lost 2 . 1 lbs yay me! I have also lost 6 inches all around. I think I'm gonna celebrate with a day of walking in the snow to my classes, oh wait, I have to do that anyways!

It's Been a Cold Day...

Ok maybe it isn't THAT cold but I feel like I can't get warm! Hi all, I am thinking about making my posts a daily thing so here I go. I didn't do anything really awesome today except for putting my clothes in the dryer and waiting for them to finish upstairs, only to find out an hour later that I had never pressed start, yep that stunk.
Hmmm well about my healthy choices today, I had a breakfast that consisted of rice krispies with fat-free milk, 3 egg whites with a slice of low fat cheese on top and three slices of turkey bacon. I felt like I was eating for two and it was only 9 points! I know that means nothing to you non-Weight watchers people but personally I get 30 points a day and that is just a regular sized meal!
I also had a really good workout this afternoon in my Zumba class. I think there is a point in every workout when I realize that I am the master of my body and that I can choose to power through or give up. I think that I have gained a lot of confidence from this. It is really empowering to feel complete control over my body. So that is what I would challenge you to do; next time you are working out, try to tell yourself that you are in control and that you can CHOOSE what your body does. I will be the first to say that I often "give up" too early when I am working out but I think I am slowly working towards being able to power through and achieve better results.
I also thought I would tell ya'll about my challenge this weekend. I am going to a place where the cheese flows like wine and the pasta flocks to my hungry mouth. Yes, I am heading to my parents house. Luckily for me they all know that I am on a diet and my mom asked me to make a list of what food I will need to survive but I am still worried. I know for a fact that my mom is going to be making her BBQ beef sandwiches and I don't know if I'll be able to limit how much I have! I guess we will know by Monday. Also I have a date with the scale tomorrow morning so wish me luck! As my roommate Krislyn would say LOVE YA!

Weigh In Thursday

So it is technically not Thursday but I will post what I lost as of last Thursday so ya'll can see where I am.  Last Thursday was my 4 week mark and I had lost 1.2 lbs for a total of 9.1. I had also lost a total of 18 inches all over. :] Slow and steady wins the race!

The Six Questions

Who?

My name is Becca and I am currently 20 years old. I live in Eugene, Oregon and am a little more than halfway through my sophomore year. I am the youngest of four sisters and I have six nieces, no brothers or nephews.  I am also Mormon and I plan on serving a mission when I turn 21. (I can't wait for this btw) Hopefully as the blog progresses I will be able to show who I am more fully.

What?

I am starting this blog because I want to vent about my downfalls and my successes. You see when I start to talk to people in person about my weight loss, they often look away or become uncomfortable. I am hoping that this blog will allow me to tell the truth and maybe have some people read it without getting uncomfortable. I also have many friends who are on the opposite side of that spectrum and when I bring it up they will tell me that I am not fat and that I am perfect the way I am. I am not perfect, no one is, we are all trying to make it through this life to improve and become more perfect.

Where?

I live in the beautiful Northwest. The trees are greener, the air is cleaner and the people are leaner. When I first moved here I was shocked about how many people ride bikes instead of driving. I come from southern California and it is borderline crazy to try and bike anywhere. This is mostly because of long distances but it is also because California drivers are crazy (in a good way) and most people don't want to die young. Another thing I love about Oregon is that there are so many places to go outside. Where I come from, if you wanted to go outside, you would drive 40 minutes to the beach or you would go to a park near your house, those were your options for some outside time, not including backyards. There have been many moments where I have hiked up Spencer's Butte when I wanted to get some healthy exercise in nature.

When?

It is obviously winter time and that means that it is stinking cold! I walked to class this morning and it was about 40 degrees!! Of course I like that it isn't sunny all the time but I think that the cold weather gives me an excuse to stay inside most days. 

I also am at a point in my life when I should be able to look back and say "Wow! Those were the healthiest days of my life!" right now I can't say that and I want to be able to say that when I am older. It is also a time where I can lose the weight more easily. I think that it is harder to do what what want today tomorrow.

Why?

There are several reasons why I am changing my lifestyle. First of all, I got to a point where I didn't want to wear cute clothes, or look at myself in a mirror. When I went out in public I was always self-conscious that people were looking at my weird for wearing a shirt that was too tight or for wearing a skirt that showed my big calf's. I knew that this wasn't the right way to think about the body that Heavenly Father gave me but I couldn't help it. I was constantly comparing myself to others and thinking that the girl over there was cuter, skinnier and prettier than me. I still struggle with this sometimes but it is way less frequent and less intense. I think that just the fact that I know that I am trying to take care of my body without hurting it or starving it is helping me realize how important my body is to me.
Another reason is because I want to be healthy for my mission when I turn 21 in December. When I am on my mission I will probably be walking for at least 10 hours a day. I want to be healthy so I can serve the people in my area to the best of my ability. 
The last reason is because I want to look my best. I talked to my Bishop one time about how I was not feeling good about my appearance and how I thought I wasn't as good as other girls in the ward. After telling me that I shouldn't compare myself to the world, he told me that I should still try to look my best. He said that dieting and exercising is pleasing to God and that I would be blessed for my efforts. It took me a few months to grasp what he was saying but it is true. Now that I am slowly and healthily losing weight, I feel happier and I know that God is supporting me in my efforts. 
How?
I am using Weight Watchers Online to monitor what I eat and portions. I am also walking to all of my classes and taking two workout classes per term. At the current moment I am enrolled in Zumba and a class called Stretch and Flex. I find that taking classes through the University of Oregon has helped me actually work out because they have mandatory attendance.