My Silly Yet SUPER Dramatic Milestone

I mentioned in my last post that I would be talking about the biggest milestone I have faced in my journey to becoming more toned and looking good under my clothes.  A better way of putting it I guess is that I'd like to have a bikini body.  I've never had one before, and I'd like to order one now pretty please.

So I mentioned I've been exercising pretty hard core (well, pretty hard core for me) since about March.  I am definitely seeing some changes.  For example, I FEEL healthier.  I can run longer and faster before getting tired.  I see some definite changes to my leg, thigh, and butt muscles.  People have told me that I look healthier.  My mom told me that I look prettier.  One person I know tells me that I "radiate beauty," which is just the absolute greatest thing that anyone could ever say to me.  I don't know if I am giving off a healthier look or what.  I'm not sure, but I like it.

HOWEVER.  These people don't see what I see.  There is a terrible demon that everyone knows about, I'm pretty sure everyone has it at some point in their life, and it is pretty hard to get rid of.  I am talking about "fatty deposits causing a dimpled or uneven appearance, as around the thighs or buttocks."  Yes.  I am talking about CELLULITE. 

I have been working my butt off since March, and while I have seen results, I have seen NO reduction in cellulite!  So I decided to research this to see what to do.  It turns out the three ways to say goodbye to cellulite are 1. Get enough rest 2. Exercise 3. Stay hydrated.   Well I get enough rest and I get plenty of exercise.  But my main source of hydration is diet dr. pepper.  With continued research, I found out that diet sodas, especially caffeinated diet sodas, decrease your chance of being able to get rid of cellulite!  It does NOT cause cellulite.  But it can make cellulite more noticeable.  Hence my issue.  http://www.livestrong.com/article/305514-diet-pop-and-cellulite/

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love diet dr. pepper.  I drink 528 oz or more of it per week (88 oz per working day, and 88 oz per weekend).  It's an addiction, and it calls to me.  No one has ever been able to give me a single reason to stop drinking it that I have cared about.  Until now.  I REALLY don't want cellulite.

When I found out, I almost started crying.  I went through the seven stages of grief, and I committed to stop drinking my diet dr. pepper.  This was last weekend.  My first day off diet soda was last Friday.  I have never been so thirsty in my entire life.  I drank almost 100 oz of water.  I also had a ginormous headache.  I ended up caving and got 32 oz.  Monday I had 130 oz of water!  I have never drunk that much water in my life!  I didn't have any diet dr. pepper again until Tuesday.  I was just having a really busy and kind of a rough day, and diet dr. pepper just makes everything more pleasant.  Normally when I go without my beverage for too long, that first sip is magical.  It runs through my whole body and my face lights up; it's like a drug!  My first time drinking it in four days was quite a different experience.  It wasn't magical.  It was just like any other drink.  I catalogued that in my brain for the next time I wanted some.

So today I had a splitting headache.  I've been having a lot of headaches since my departure from my dear friend.  Today's was really bad.  I decided to get another 32 oz.  It was, again, not the magical experience that I am used to.  The headache eased up a bit, but I didn't even finish my drink.  I am in complete and utter shock that in four days I have lost my dependence for my beverage!  It still tastes good, I still feel like I should get it, but it no longer calls to me, and it isn't magical anymore.  What an astonishing four days!

One of the hardest things about giving up my drink is that I love going to Maverick.  I truly love the gas station attendants that help me every day.  It is almost heart breaking to not have a reason to go see them every day!  I was trying to think of something I could go get every day instead of diet dr. pepper, but gas stations aren't a great place for someone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially on a limited budget.

So far this week I have had 64 oz of diet dr. pepper where I normally would have had at least 308 oz by now.  I may have "caved in" on two days, but I am okay with slowing weaning myself off as long as the end result is the same - losing the caffeine addiction and having a great butt.  Even when I have kicked the habit, I won't say no to an occasional beverage, as long as they are few and far between.  We can't deny our pleasures, otherwise there is no balance in life. 

Giving up my beverage has been the hardest thing I've ever done, and these headaches are killer.  But I've been working so hard and I don't want anything to stand in my way.  In my next post I'll tell you about the my first massage experience to reward myself for running 50 miles.

Today I'm grateful for my friend Nanna.  She was with me on my first day without diet dr. pepper.  Whenever she was talking to me, I couldn't pay attention, because all I could think about was how much I wanted some diet dr. pepper!  But she got me through it!  She is also a massage therapist and is AMAZING at her job.  She gave me some great insights that I'll tell you about in my next post.

Please send me your struggles and how you've gotten through them!

How to Look Good Under Your Clothes *Blush!*

I know it has been a VERY LONG time since I have written.  A lot has happened since my last post.  I got a new job where I was a contingent employee for a large investment firm working for a girl who was on maternity leave.  I worked in Foreign Exchange for seven months, and it was the best experience I've ever had in my entire life!  Then they had to end my contract when the girl I was working for came back from maternity leave and it was really sad.  I had to look for a new job and I was unemployed for five months.  It sucked and I was super bored during that time, but I would still never trade that experience for anything.

Unfortunately, a life without order (no job, no structure, basically being a bum) is not good for someone like me who struggles to stay healthy.  I got complacent.  I ended up gaining ten pounds in that time.  Ten pounds isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but ten pounds this year turns into five pounds next year, and one day I would have gained the whole 60+ pounds back.  I did NOT want that.

My dedicated readers (if I have any left) will know I've already struggled to lose 60 pounds.  I've played this game.  I know what it takes.  I've been there, done that.  I've gotten to a point where I have felt like I can look good.  However, I can look good in my clothes.  This isn't good enough for me anymore.  I'm BETTER than that.  I want to look good UNDER my clothes.  Someday, if a boy ever decides to get anywhere near me, I'm gonna want to look good for him!  This means I can't just lose weight by eating less like I did last time.  I have to exercise and get toned.  I'll need some muscle.

This last March, about two months before I started working again, I recognized this issue and got into a health kick.  I've had health kicks before, where I try to eat healthy and go running a lot for about three weeks, and then I lose my steam and go back to my complacent ways.  This is the longest I have ever lasted on one of my "health kicks."  I'm planning to make it last and turn it into a way of life.  I joined a gym in March.  This forced me to get out of the house while still looking for work.  Running is tough.  Once your leg muscles are up to the challenge, they are good to go and it seems as though they can go forever.  The real problem is breathing!  It took me a very long time to learn to breathe and run.  One day it just clicked and now it is just a mind game.  My mind thinks I want to stop to walk and I have to remind myself that my legs are fine, and I'm breathing okay.  I can go as far as I want.

Then I got into the spirit of running.  I signed up for races.  I'm not a competitive person, so I'm not worried about winning or being fast, I just needed something to train for to keep me motivated.  I did a 5K on June 2nd and accomplished my goal of getting through the whole race without stopping to walk and doing it in under 45 minutes (I did it in 42).  On July 14th I am doing a 10K, and I am super excited for it!  I keep track of every mile I run, and to reward myself I am treating myself to a full body massage for every 50 miles I run.  I started keeping track in the middle of May, and I get my first massage this Tuesday.

Running makes me feel so great, and I have loved it.  I love going at night under the stars and feeling the cool air on my face.  I love running fast down hills.  I love the sense of accomplishment I feel after each long run.  My goals have changed.  I want exercise to be a way of life, and I want to keep training for competitions.  Next summer I'd like to do a triathlon and I've added biking and swimming to my exercise routine.  I also do weight training and a butt exercise video I'll talk about at some point.

In my next blogpost I will talk about the biggest milestone I have come across in my journey to becoming more toned and healthy looking.

Today I am grateful for good running shoes and my patellar straps.

Please send me your thoughts, suggestions, and questions!