Some of my Worst Habits

When it comes to losing weight, I need to be brutally honest with what is going on in the process. If i’m not being honest with myself and everyone else, the only person that it hurts in the end is me. Cheating yourself into believing that that you’re doing well does not do anyone any favors, especially not yourself.

So here I go with some of my WORST habits.

• Inconsistency- Sometimes when I have a something change in my schedule and I don’t continue with my routine, I have an unbelievably hard time getting back into the flow of things. This goes for anything. If I don’t pack my lunch the night before work one day the week in general seems to go to hell, if I miss a workout I have a hard time getting back into it and doing one. I’m not sure why I have so much trouble with this part of things but it happens every once in a while. I get into a really great flow and there will be one little glitch….I will have a trip, a rehearsal, or something change and I get thrown off. This is something I need to work on and I’m going to spend a little time focusing on.
• Controlling Portions- This is a focus of mine for the month of april. I always think I know portions really well, but in reality…I know I need to make sure I always have my measuring cups and my food scale on hand to make sure I am getting it all spot on. My biggest downfall is eyeballing it, and then saying “Well, maybe just another tablespoon…” All of that adds up!
• Overthinking/Stressing- My daily thoughts are split between two things: losing weight and what I am going to be when I grow up. I am constantly thinking about those two things and it is SO overwhelming. The less I stress, the more successful I am, but sometimes I can’t help it. I want to reach my goals so badly that I am constantly trying to come up with ways to do things differently and make myself better. I think in the past few months I have done a much better job of not letting these things consume my thoughts, but I still have my moments. That is probably one of my biggest flaws though.
• Eating when I’m not hungry. Simple enough.
• Not taking enough time to let things become a routine. I am a person who wants immediate gratification, but I need to realize nothing happens overnight. I need to take the time to re-evaluate, focus, and stay on top of things and I will reach the goals I am working towards.
• Being negative. My mind tends to be filled with much more negative thoughts than positive thoughts, and it’s not helping me in any aspect of life. I have to start focusing on the GOOD things that are surrounding me instead of all the bad. Instead of thinking about the extra helping of rice I ate, focus on the fact that I measured out my salad dressing at lunch…or skipped the snack bag of chips after work. I even need to think about all of the good things I am doing in my workouts as well as opposed to everything else. I’ve been making huge strides with what I can do physically. Spinning things like that will probably have a much more positive effect on me, but I just tend to focus on the things that aren’t working.

All of these are things I need to really focus in on, and I think I am going to do just that and make sure they are getting the attention they need (positive attention, of course). There is no reason they should be bringing me down anymore. I am going to do what I set out to do.

I never would do this this Team Beachbody stuff normally…

But now that I have seen some significant results in a short 8 days, I am so unbelievably excited now to finish out the rest of the challenge with the girls in my group and see even more progress I will hopefully make by the end of the rest of the 30 days!

with that being said,  now YOU can be a part of the challenge as well!

I have a new challenge group starting on April 1st!

I am SO so excited about this because on this next 30 day challenge I’m going to plan on trying a new program rather than the one I am doing now as well, called Les Mills Pump. It is a program that comes with a barbell, and based on lifting lower weights and more reps, and it seems like it would be RIGHT up my alley. I’m not much for high impact cardio, so I think trying that one can’t hurt! I may enjoy it plus it will switch my routine (although I must say, I really love 21day fix!)

The girls in the FB group with me are great and so supportive.

Do you need something like this to keep you going? Do you need ideas and a program to follow? We may be able to get you started on something you may end up loving! Comment with your email address if you want details about this 30 day challenge group starting April 1st, and how YOU can become a part of it! 🙂

If you choose to do it on your own, simply follow this link, make me your coach (Jaclyn) and choose whichever program suits you best! https://www.teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free?referringRepId=354942

You saw what I did in 8 days, don’t wait!

21 Day Fit Progress Photo.

When it comes to my progress photos, I make them very honest. My approach when it comes to weight loss is unbelievably honest. The only person I am cheating is myself if I lie, right? So once I hit my goal, these progress photos won’t be as impressive if i’m sucking it in in all the pictures. So here I am as raw as it comes. I use the typical “Jersey” stance with the hand on the hip for reasons of arm comparisons though.

The first picture is day 1 of the 21 day fix, and this picture was today, day 9. The main differences I notice are in my arms and legs, you can see they thinned out a bit. When I flex my bicep is much more defined. My waist has more of a shape to it, the line is more curvy but I look like I thinned out a bit. My stomach also looked like it flattened out the littlest bit, but enough to be noticeable.

Those little bits of changes will add up each week, so hopefully by next week I will notice even bigger changes. I will keep the clothing consistent each week as well.

Thanks to everyone who follows along with my story! It means the world!

This is how I feel sometimes.

You wake up in the morning and get on the scale. You’re not quite happy with the number, so you move it to a different place in the bathroom. That number is a little better but not the best so you move it again. Then the last time you move it it says you gained 25 pounds so you say “Eh, forget it……may as well l go get some pizza.”

Have you had these moments? Where you’re so stuck on what the scale says that you think it just doesn’t matter anymore? I don’t want the scale to matter anymore. Yes…of course I still go every week to WW to get weighed in because I am paying for it and I feel like I need to when I go to the meetings but if it was up to me I would continue to do what I am doing without getting weighed at all.

I’m more excited when smaller shirts fit, and when clothes that never looked good on me before finally look good, and when my stomach looks more flat. Measuring tape getting shorter is much more motivating to me than numbers on scales. I don’t want to workout for the number on the scale anymore or ever, I want to work out because I feel like working out.

I hate the scales. Scales don’t have the ability to measure how strong I’m getting, how much longer I am able to run on a treadmill,  or how I dropped a pant size. The scale doesn’t measure how much muscle I am compared to how much fat I am….and I’m all about building muscle and losing inches at this point.

This picture is saying stop obsessing over what the number says on the scale, because unless you just go to the gym or workout and do something about it that number is not going to change, not matte how much you wish it would.  Standing on that scale is not doing to be the answer to your problems. It’s not going to tell you the true changes that are being made in your body.

I’ve been proud of myself with the changes I’ve been seeing and how consistent I’ve been with everything and I am getting results. Today I wore my jeans that are a size smaller and a tshirt with a sweater and looked smaller than I have in a long time. Feelings little bits of confidence again is a nice feeling.

Forget the scale, get away from it, and just go to the gym for you. Not for the number.
Do that much for yourself.

My weekend update.

This weekend was a really good one for me. As far as I am concerned, I stayed the same this week, even thought the scale says I went up a little. Regardless of that, I woke up and my stomach hadn’t looked that flat in a ridiculously long time and I felt absolutely incredible. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this week I was prepared, I had an amazingly positive attitude all week, and I also ate gluten free all week.

Eating foods with wheat and gluten tends to effect me more than I even realize. I have done a lot of reading lately about PCOS and it seems that gluten and PCOS together cause negative feelings, bloating, stomach issues, mood swings, and a whole handful of other things that come with having food intolerances. I have been experiencing every last one of the things I read about since I started introducing gluten back into my diet so I am right back to gluten free.

It really is incredible what it did for me though and now I know what I need to do from now on.

After the weigh in, I went to my trainer/friend’s house so we could do a workout together. We ended up being a HOT HOT mess. First the treadmill crapped out on me (or I broke it), then I went to do crunches on the yoga ball and it slid out from under me so I ended up flat on my back on the cement floor! It was hilarious and it was also a fun workout with her. It was leg day so it definitely was not an easy workout at all, but I want to make that happen much more often. I like working out with people, it makes it go by faster. Especially Peg, she is always a good source of motivation for me.

Also while I was there, we took measurements. Since September 2012, I have lost 10 inches in my waist alone!! If that is not progress and motivation for me I don’t know what is!

I had save a bunch of money last week from my paycheck and my tax return and had some extra for the week so i decided to go do some shopping for myself since I hadn’t taken the time to just wander around a store in a while. I ended up at an Old Navy. Every time I go, I stare at the jeans and wonder if I should go with my typical size jeans or try on the smaller. Every single time I try on the smaller size, they don’t fit. Usually the waist is too tight, the thighs don’t fit me, they’re too long, they don’t zip….something is wrong with them. But Saturday, I was feeling very ambitious. I grabbed a bunch of jeans all in the smaller size. I even grabbed a dress in the smaller size because hey, WHY NOT! A sweater? Sure, go for it. I tried them all on, and every single item fit me like it was custom made for it.

I was in shock. Maybe it is the new workout program combined with how I have been eating combined with eating gluten free…I don’t know. But I can finally wear Old Navy jeans in a size down from what I was wearing. Might I add that some brands I CAN fit into that size, but never in Old Navy until now.

Last night I didn’t feel my best so I stayed in my house and just relaxed. Today I cleaned my room and did all kinds of boring things that I don’t need to bore anyone with right now because it doesn’t matter. I’m just hoping it seriously snows tonight because I really would like a day off tomorrow. For some reason weekdays off are so much more enjoyable than weekends, am I right or am I right?

Anyway. I’m going to take the rest of the night to relax some more, prep my lunch for tomorrow, watch my shoes, and just hang out. Everyone wear your pjs inside out for me so I get my day off tomorrow!

21 day fix challenge pack sale was extended for the weekend! You can save 20 dollars on all of these things. Shakeology by itself costs $130, but when you buy all this for only $10 bucks more…how could you say no? I’m waiting for mine to come in and I am SO excited! This absolutely is worth the money. I was doing the crossfit thing but honestly, i could not keep up with it financially and it was way too much for me to handle. I was introduced to this program by someone who I went to college with and i’m super excited!!! She is now my coach and I now I am lucky enough to be able to invite people to the challenge with me!

I’ve been chosen to be an “apprentice coach” under my coach’s leadership, and I can invite some people to do the challenge group with me! pre-season starts on march 15, the real challenge starts march 22. if you think this is something you would be interested in, please message me your email address, comment, like this, anything and i will get you the information you need to get involved!!

I’m starting my challenge next week and i cannot wait!! for someone who doesn’t have a gym membership or works out at home, i really think this is worth every penny. i was paying $150 a month for crossfit, but purchasing this program saved me SO much money.

Below is a link to my team beachbody page, and i hope some of your commit to this with us!

http://www.teambeachbody.com/jacbianc

Valentines Day came Early in my House!

Today was crazy and long, but I got a little bit of relief when I got my Valentines day present from Parker in the mail! I was so busy all day so I wasn’t able to really open it up and check everything out until the end of the day and until rehearsal was over.

Opening that box was the nicest, calmest part of my day today. Usually I worry because I think Park gets super stressed when he picks out presents for me, and I think picking out presents for each other should be a fun process! I think this present really reflected Parker and who he is and it was one of the best presents he’s sent me.

It started with a little book that said “What I Love About Jaclyn, By Parker”. Inside it had little pre-written sentences that he got to fill in like “You are my favorite…”, “My favorite place to go with you is…”, and he put in all different little inside jokes and favorite moments from over the past 3 years. It was a really great little book and it made me happy to read. Those reminders were nice for me to have right about now.

On top of that, he got me two new charms for my Pandora bracelet. I’ve been obsessing over the Kate Spade Beau Bag so he got me a little charm that was a handbag that has a bow on it which I thought was really great. He also got me an airplane charm for obvious reasons….the constant traveling from NJ to IL to NJ to IL. Planes are vital to our relationship. 🙂

The best part of the present, as far as I am concerned, was the clothes that he sent me. I told him some things I liked from Old Navy and he ended up sending them to me with my Valentine’s Day presents. He ordered everything a size smaller than what I have been normally wearing, because I think he has a little more faith in me than I have in myself. Anyway….he sent me a really pretty dress, a sweater, and a complete workout outfit. The workout shirt was beyond perfect, because it says Mind over Matter, and it is certainly applicable to all of my crossfit workouts. On top of that he sent me a picture of a shirt he ordered me that says “Drop it like a squat”.

I was nervous to try the stuff on because the sizes were smaller than what I normally wear, but the things he sent look amazing, and they fit well too.I’m so thankful for him recognizing my goals and the things I’m trying to achieve and helping me to achieve them. The gesture of him buying me workout clothes may seem small but to me it means he listens, he knows my goals, he knows what I am trying to achieve, and he knows what I want to be doing. Essentially, the way to my heart is by buying me workout clothes, and especially clothes that are a size smaller……clothes that are a size smaller that actually fit. Things like this are huge to me and to know I have his support even if it’s just the smallest text asking about a workout or buying me workout clothes shows me that he supports me. As much as I would love to get chocolate or candy, a good pair of work out compression pants are much better in my book nowadays. 🙂

My priorities have changed so much over the past few years and right now I am just on the roady to being healthy, whatever that means. Eating properly, getting stronger and working out harder, and challenging myself mentally. Things have been going in the right direction for me personally (professionally, that’s another story…).

Thank you, Parker, for the presents and being supportive. Best presents you’ve sent me yet.

Thursday workout.

Thursdays workout was so great, and I am glad I went. This morning was pretty amazing too.

On Thursday, we learned how to do push jerks and split jerks, which was awesome. I really enjoyed doing them, and I thought for just learning it, I did a really good job. It is sometimes a little hard and intimidating working out with people who are in much better shape than I am. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I do the wrong thing? What if I fall or trip or can’t keep up? It’s a bit hard sometimes for me to want to go to crossfit because I think about who is going to be there and if I’m going to make a fool out of myself, even though the people there have all been so nice so far. But I remember how great I feel once I do the workout, so I go and I try the best I can.

That particular day, I felt okay with what we were doing, and I had a really good time even though it wasn’t a beginner class. It was hard. We did back squats but had to follow along with a song they played, so we could only stand up when they say “bring sally up”, and go down when they say “bring sally down”. We had to hold the squat position and it was so hard, but it felt good I could accomplish it.

Today, we used the erg, we jump roped, and we learned how to do thrusters. I think the open gym on Sundays will be a good thing, as long as I record what we have been doing in workouts and then I’m able to do them on my own then. I’m really glad I went this morning and I am thankful to everyone at the gym. I’ve already made strides towards my goal, and combining this with how I’ve been eating, I should hit it by April, like I want to. 🙂

Throwback Thursday.

I like to remind myself of where I was and where I have gone so far, so I figured a “throwback thursday” post would be the perfect way to do that. I tend to forget that I’ve actually made progress, and I still feel like the person I was 40 pounds ago. I’m making strides, I’m still going forward, and I have finally found a routine that works for me. I was motivated before, but now I’m even more motivated than that. 

Here’s to who I was before, who I will never be again, and who I am (shortly) going to be 🙂

I lost 4 pounds this week, for a total of 7 pounds during the 2 weeks of Simple Start.

I made the decision that from here I am going to move onto simple filling. I am going to eat from the list just like I did following simple start, but if my family goes out to dinner or we have an event to go to, I will have the option to use some of the 49 points as a safety net. Also, I could still occasionally enjoy some of the treats I like to have during the week without using up all 49. It seems like the perfect solution for me.

I used the 7 points a day with simple start, but it didn’t leave much room for anything else. Sometimes you want to have your all power foods meal, but also fries on the side, or a big salad and that slice of pizza that has been haunting you. Simply filling introduces you into a more realistic way of living where you still stick you all your powerfoods for 80% of the time, but then you can have your 49 points a week to use on things as you’d like the rest of the time.

With simple start, I tried to avoid going out to eat for the 2 weeks, and I don’t think that is a realistic way to live, but I can at least have the option to following simply filling, which I like 🙂

I am happy with the progress I have made these past two weeks, and I think along with the way I have been eating and working out, my attitude towards it all has also made a huge difference.

Here is to the power of positive thinking.