All posts in category Inspiration

The 1%…

This would be the days where the 1% of blogging I hate comes to show its ugly face.  The weigh in days where I gain.  And it wouldn’t be so bad if it was a little, but it was not a little.  Here is the ugly truth:

Starting Weight: 282.8

Get to Fifty in Sixty Starting Challenge Weight (April 30, 2012): 257.2

Last weigh in (May 3, 2012): 255.4

This Week’s Weigh in: 258.4

Total Loss: +3 GAIN

Total Overall Loss: 24.4

I didn’t expect big things from this past week.  I went on vacation, and although I stuck pretty good to my off limit foods, I still ate a lot.  A lot of things that I have not been use to eating lately, like meat.  My digestive track has not been the same since I came home and it seems that it is one more shining example of how my body truly wants to eat.  Also, proportions.  Although avocados are good for you and a “healthy fat”, I have been eating my weight in them lately.  I’m sure a little measuring wouldn’t hurt me!

I have been tracking my food with Myfitnesspal, but I haven’t been calculating up the calories in a recipe until AFTER I’ve already eaten it.  Kind of defeats the purpose.  I just need to do a little planning ahead and calculate the calories previously in the day so I know how much I can eat.

I also did not get one workout in in the last 7 days.  I think this has been one of the longest stretches I have had without working out.  Since this is an important part of weight loss I have made it a priority to get in some exercise everyday.  First, I need to take the weight class they make you take at our gym so that you can have access to their weight rooms.  I really have been missing lifting, and a routine is one of the key elements to me working out consistently.  I found this out when I completed NROLFW last year.

I have a small running program from Women’s Health that I am going to start doing next Monday (which I will write a post on in more detail), and until I figure out a good weights routine I will be combining some of the lifting schedule from The New Rules of Lifting for Women.  

Gaining weight is frustrating, but I’m not letting it get me down.  There are a lot of people out there who have worse circumstances than me, and have overcome their battles to shine in the end.

I’m sure that you have seen this video all over the internet, but it hits me hard.  I have watched it like 3 times and I cry every time. It is hard to not feel completely inspired by what this man has accomplished.   It makes my life seem so easy.

Back on track, and I WILL see a loss next week!  Happy Thursday everyone!

3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on May 10, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Inspiration, Weigh in

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on May 10, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/05/10/the-1/

Friday Link Love

Just to go along with yesterday’s post, it looks like it isn’t just me who struggles with weekend indulgence.  Check out this little factoid I stole from Hungry Runner Girl:

I see the same decline starting Friday around lunch time (especially when I was working an office job), and the weekend gets progressively worse.

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty full google reader with a lot of blogs and blog friends that I like to catch up with periodically through the day.  There are a few blogs that I skim (usually if they post more than once a day) and blogs that I read all the way through (usually people who I actually interact with through my blog on at least a weekly basis).  This week I made a conscious effort to star or “pin” some of my favorite articles that I thought all you guys would like to read as well.  You’re welcome.

Meatless Weekdays – Summer Challenge with Skinny Jeans Dreams

I have mentioned Krystle’s blog before and if you haven’t checked it out yet you really should.  She has offered out a summer challenge featuring meatless weekday’s.  Since I am making the slow, but steady transition into no animal products I decided to jump on board with this challenge!  I’m starting it right after I am done with my kick-start (4/23) and completing it through the summer until Aug. 26th.  This is such a great challenge and she gives a lot of great reasoning behind why going meatless on the weekdays will boost your health.  Check it out!

Eat Less, Move More

This post really hit me because the concept of “Eat Less, Move More” is preached all over the place and for some of us it is not that easy.  Saying I am a food addict is almost an understatement, and it is frustrating to hear people say that it is easy to lose weight if you would just do ________.  This post felt like I was talking to myself in a mirror (although I have never weighed over 400 pounds).  The author of this article blogs over at The Anti-Jared and is an inspiration (but very humble).

What I’ve Learnt From Blogging (She is from the UK, so yes, it is LEARNT)

If you have ever thought of starting a blog, you need to read this article.  The etiquette portion is SPOT-ON.  I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to lend my support to other bloggers when they are in time of need and have never gotten a response or acknowledged.  And I’m not talking once.  Multiple times with the same blogger.  I have found that blogger world can be kind of like High school, and I just thank my lucky stars that I am now an adult who has the sense to delete a blogger from my reader if they are constantly negative and don’t acknowledge their readers.  I invite you to do the same.

I try to interact with my readers, and I am not here to just hear myself talk about my thoughts.  I could get that from a private journal.  I am here to find support and give support in return and I hope that you guys feel that in my posts.  I even wrote a post about it once.

Interview With Nutritarian: Helen

It is NEVER too late to change your eating habits.  Just ask 87-year-old Helen.  A great article of how she overcame a stroke and started eating plant-based.  A very motivational story!

10 Simple Steps to Happiness

This was the first article that inspired Friday Link Love because I just had to share the wonderful article with you all!  It is all about happiness and living compassionately.  I won’t ruin the rest for you.  You’ll need to check out the entire post.  It was very motivational.

Enjoy these great links!  I hope they start your weekend off on a positive note!  Here’s to keeping our food on track for the weekend!

5 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Blogging, Blogs to Read, Challenges, Inspiration, Link Love, Meatless Weekdays, Motivation, Plant Based Diet, Smile

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 20, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/20/friday-link-love/

Fire Up For Fall: Week 7

Hello and Happy Monday!  Just a side note for those of you who didn’t have a chance to catch a read over the weekend, check out Faith, Fitness, Fun for my Self Love Reflection guest post!  And if you are a new reader thanks for reading, let’s be friends, K?

For those of you who are new I am apart of the FIre Up For Fall brought to you by Weight Wars.  You can read about the challenge here.

Today I have 2 inspirational messages, the first is more for my Monday:

This is the best message for me since I am getting back from vacation, and the first day back is always the hardest.  it doesn’t help that today is Halloween and I have to pass out candy.  It also didn’t help that I ate HORRIBLE for the last 4 days.  But I am putting that in the past and focusing on the future!

And my message for everyone else:

There is no such thing as instant gratification when it comes to weight loss!  Slow and steady wins the race.  I have to keep telling myself this every time I forget that this is a lifestyle change, and it is for-ev-er (insert kids voice from Sandlot).  Which is fine, I’ve come to terms.

Five Questions!

1. What have you done to help achieve your goals?  I’m not gonna lie.  Being on vacation my goals kind of took a backseat.  The good thing is that I have already made most of them and so I am thinking a reassessment is in order for next week.  I did go to the gym 1 day out of the 4 I was gone.  The gym I went to was disappointing, and no matter of me saying “suck it up” to myself made me go again.  No excuses, no B.S., I just plain didn’t go.    I should have adapted to the situation and just went.  Live and learn!

2.  What have you done this week to make yourself feel fabulous?  My hub’s bought me boots that I have wanted for about a year.  As I have mentioned in the past,  when I had the little munchkin a year ago, the hub’s and I didn’t make a budget, and ended up in some hefty debt.  We tightened up, and made some difficult (but good) changes and I am happy to report that we have dug ourselves out finally!  We had rewards credit for Nordstrom, and he surprised me by buying me the boots I have been wanting.  I can honestly say that the boots paired with my new jeans that finally fit make me feel fabulous when I look in the mirror!

3.  How do you pull yourself out of a slump, or prevent yourself from falling into one?  I try not to lose time on wasted emotions.  When I say emotions I mean feelings that are counterproductive, and there is nothing I can do about them. A good example is stress when sleeping.  I can usually turn my brain off if I have a conversation with myself like “its the middle of the night, there is nothing you can do to fix that problem right now.  Sleep is the best thing for this issue”.  This way of thinking usually prevents slumps.  For me either I am working towards my goals or I’m not.  I try not to get down on myself, because that just makes it worse.

4. Are you naturally positive, or do you have to work at it?  How do you keep yourself positive?  I am a naturally positive person, but I think it helps that my hub’s is always questioning everything.  One of us has to stay positive!  I believe positivity is the only way to achieve your goals.  Without it I would get nothing done.

5. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?  I have not been that many places in my lifetime, but I think my dream destination would be a European tour.  I have always wanted to go abroad, but just haven’t had the chance.

  • What about you?  If you are not participating in FUFF, tell me an answer to one of these questions in the comments!
6 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on October 31, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in About Me, Budget, Challenges, Fall, Finances, Fire It Up for Fall, Indulgence, Inspiration, Motivation, Positive Self-Talk

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 31, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/31/fire-up-for-fall-week-7/

Fire Up For Fall: Week 6

Holy cow!  Is it already week 6!?

Inspirational Photo:

Source

Yup.  Because we should always think awesome thoughts about ourselves.  Plus, Shatner is just the coolest, and I should find more reason’s to post pictures of him.

Weekly Questions:  

1.  What have you done this week to help achieve your goals? 

  • I’ve met my first goal, and now fit into the pair of jeans that I bought for motivation post-pregnancy.  Woot woot!
  • Just finished phase 3 of NROLFW, so that goal has also been checked off.  New goal:  Finish Phase 4
  • I am 4 pounds away from hitting my 10% with Weight Watchers, and I have been going to the gym 6 days a week and tracking all of my food.
  • Made it to the gym 6 days a week.  CHECK.
  • #5. Make friends and find inspiration in others.  DOUBLE CHECK!!!  I am loving the people I am meeting by doing this challenge!  You all have been inspiring and it has been so motivating to me!  I love checking in with all of you on Mondays!
2. What have you done this week to make yourself feel fabulous? 
I wore my new gym clothes to workout in, and I didn’t feel self-conscience!  This is huge, and it makes me even more excited to go to the gym everyday!  And it made me feel fabulous.  With the tight fitting clothes I can really tell where I’m seeing progress, and it feel so good!
3. Do you listen to music when you work out?  What gets you fired up?
Music is huge for me when working out, and I have to change out my playlist every couple of weeks so that I don’t get bored with what I’m listening to.  Lately, my go to album has been David Ghetta’s (SP?) new album “Nothing But The Beat”.  It is a collaboration album, so all of the songs sound like a mish mash of different albums by different people.  My go to gym music has to have a good beat to keep tempo to and keep me entertained.
4.  What is your guilty pleasure music?  How does it make you feel?
I’m not really embarrassed by any music I listen to, because I love all genre’s besides country,  I LOATHE COUNTRY.  I would say my guilty pleasure would have to be music like Billy Joel, or Lionel Richie.  I don’t listen to them very often, but when I do it takes me back to my childhood when we use to play music in our house.  ”Dancing on the Ceiling”, and “Uptown Girl” immediately take me to a different time.
5.  If today were a song what song would it be?
Ha!  I just totally looked through my itunes to find some inspiration, and I found a good one!  ”Seize the Day” from the movie Newsies, with Christian Bale.  That would definitely have to be guilty pleasure movie/music for sure.  And yes, I totally have the soundtrack for it.  I am really giving you guys a skewed vision of what kind of music I like.  I promise my taste is much more different than what this is displaying.
I hope everyone is having a great start to their Monday!  Stay Tuned for Friend Making Monday!
3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on October 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in About Me, Awesomeness, Challenges, Fire It Up for Fall, Inspiration, Motivation, Positive Self-Talk

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 24, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/24/fire-up-for-fall-week-6/

Things I’ve Learned From Blogging, The Gym, & Eating Healthier (so far)…

Through this little journey of mine I’ve learned a LOT of things so far about different facets that I have added into my life and I thought I would share a few:

Eating Healthier:

  • Planning is key.  Failure to plan is a plan for failure
  • Tracking is the absolute most important part of me losing weight.
  • Plan cheat days, or meals or whatever.  When I have a cheat day it helps me to plan what I am going to eat ahead of time.  It helps me to not go too crazy, but eat the things that I know I crave regularly.
  • Cravings start to go away after not eating processed, or sugary foods in about 2 days, for me.  The more fruits and veggies I consume the quicker the cravings cease.
  • Always put the “good for you food” in your eye-line.  Put the “bad for you” food in a deep dark hole where you forget it exists.  I had a bag of Starbursts for over a month because of this strategy, and for anyone who knows me, they know that this a BIG DEAL.
  • Don’t be too extreme.  If you want to cut out certain foods try one food at a time.  Don’t become a vegan when your diet consisted of mostly dairy and meat.  You are just setting yourself up for failure.
  • Treat yourself.  Even Weight Watchers says that you should give yourself things like you like every now and then.
  • Stay away from “trigger” foods.  I love oatmeal, but if I start my day out with it, I want to eat all day long.  Same with bread.  I just have to stay away.
  • Know which foods affect you which ways.  Don’t eat vegetable soup full of cabbage when you know you have to be in public in a couple of hours.  Also goat cheese is possibly the only food that affects my stomach in a MAJOR BAD WAY.
The Gym
  • Make a schedule and keep to it. The only time the gym works for me is before 9 AM.  If I wait any longer, it won’t happen.  Sometimes I have to ditch plans if I know it will interrupt my gym time.  The gym is a priority to me and some things have to come second.
  • Keep the schedule up for at least 3 weeks.  I am a big believer in 21 days makes a habit, and when I have gone to the gym consistently for 3 weeks it gets easier.
  • Follow an exercise routine.  You can find all sorts of great workouts on the internet, or in exercise magazines.  Keeping your workout interesting, keeps you wanting to do it.  When you have a plan you are following you will be less likely into cutting your workout short.
  • No matter who I do cardio by, whether they are old, young, fat, or skinny, they all want to race.  Seriously.  I keep tempo with the music that I am listening to, and I can tell a difference when I am working out to the fast songs.  The people next to me suddenly start looking over at my machine to see what level I am and start going faster.  I liken it to having your car on cruise control.  If your car isn’t on cruise control, but mine is, there is going to be some playing of leap-frog.
  • Most meatheads don’t care if you are in the free weights section.  I was extremely self-conscious when I started doing NROLFW because it mostly uses free weights, or what I formerly referred to as the “Men’s Area”, but now I realize that my insecurities were all in my own head (as most usually are).
  • Be friendly.  We’re all in this together people!  If I see an over weight person that I’ve never seen, I try to give them a smile and a friendly look.  You never know how hard it was for them to take the step to come to the gym.  I am no better than anybody in that gym.
Blogging
  • No matter how many times I type it I will never be able to properly spell the words definitly, or myslef.  I am leaving the misspellings so that you know how I spell them EVERY TIME I type them.
  • People love to hear about periods and poop.  If they didn’t, those posts wouldn’t be some of my top read posts.
  • Keep your heart in your posts.  If you are trying to type a canned blog post, your readers will know.  Inspiration does not strike everyday, and if you need a day off then take it.
  • Connect with other bloggers.  I had no idea the blogging world was even out there until a few months ago, and since then I have made some solid friendships with people who are supportive and relate to what you’re going through.
  • Comment on other bloggers post.  One of the biggest compliments you can give a blogger is a comment.  You don’t have to go crazy and comment on every post, just something that says I enjoyed your post today!  I think we put a lot of thought into the content of our blogs and it is nice to have people recognize that.
Is there anything you have learned from Blogging, The Gym, or Eating Healthier?

 

12 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on October 18, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in About Me, Blogging, Goals, Health, Indulgence, Inspiration, Motivation, Poop, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, Vegetables, Weight Watchers, Working Out

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 18, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/18/things-ive-learned-from-blogging-the-gym-eating-healthier-so-far/

Such a GREAT Day!

Sweat it Out:
Elliptical 35 minutes
Weights 45 minutes

This has been a GREAT day so I will just start from the beginning:

  • Started the day with a fabulous NROLFW weight lifting session, that my husband joined me on. Dustin has been working like crazy these last few months so when he gets a day off we try to pack as much as possible into the time we have to enjoy with each other.  My hub’s was very leery in the beginning of the workout because he thought all of the moves would be “girl exercise’s”.  I told him the tag line of the book was “lift like a MAN, look like a goddess”.  That’s right, these are MAN moves.  He was a good sport and got through the whole workout.  He said that he was even more impressed with me and my progress, now that he has gotten to do a workout with me.  He told me that his hamstrings are already sore and his abs will be feeling the burn tomorrow morning after the planks we did today!
  • After getting ready I went to my closet to find something to wear, and by chance put on a pair of jeans that I bought post-pregnancy as a motivator to start getting back in shape.  They are a size smaller than I was (at the time) and they were normally $80.  I bought them on sale for $20.  I put them on and they finally fit!  Then I tried on one of my smaller shirts that hasn’t fit in a couple of years, and it fit as well!  Holy crap!  I should have taken a picture (now I’m all comfy in my PJ’s so I’ll have to take a picture later)!
  • Old Navy is currently having a sale on all of their active wear.  I thought we should check it out since I am in dire need of new gym clothes.  I went in feeling hopeful, but defeated after holding up some of the compression pants and they didn’t seem to fit.  My husband FORCED me to take them to the dressing room.  Thinking of the disappointment I would feel after having such a fun morning, I reluctantly tried them on thinking that at least it would give me some motivation to keep going to the gym.  They slipped right on.  No, seriously, they fit, and they fit good.  I came out of the dressing room in shock and mouthed the words to my hub’s “they fit!” across the store.  I was excited, I felt good, and my husband had a look of pride for me on his face all day long.
  • This is what I’m talking about.  I am seeing the results of my hard work, and it only makes me want to work harder.  I also got some pretty cute new gym clothes that I get to wear to the “Rollin on the River 5k” tomorrow.  My foot is starting to feel a little better, so I think I will be doing an easy walk tomorrow, and I don’t plan on finishing in any set time.  I could possibly even be the last person, but I am there to support my friend and have fun with our group.
There is one other thing that I wanted to mention that I am excited about, but I think it deserves its own post so I will be giving it its own post on Sunday, but it is exciting for me and I hope you will all tune in!
What is something exciting that happened to you today?!
“The New Rules of Lifting for Women” Day 5, Phase 3, Workout A
  • One Armed Dumbell Snatch: 3 sets of 6, 20 pounds
  • Dumbell Single-leg Romanian Deadlift: 3 sets of 6, 30 pounds
  • Barbell Bent Over Row: 3 sets of 6, 40 Pounds
  • Dumbell single arm overhead squat: 3 sets of 6, 5/15 Pounds
  • Dumbell incline Bench Press: 3 Sets of 6, 40 pounds
  • Plank: 3 sets of 60 seconds
  • Horizontal Wood Chop: 3 sets of 6, 60 pounds
1 Comment
by Shrinking Carrie on October 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Dustin, Goals, Inspiration, Motivation, Power, Smile, The New Rules of Lifting for Women

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 14, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/14/such-a-great-day/

Fire it Up for Fall: Week 3!

Weight Wars

Week 3!


The one thing I am loving about Fire it Up for Fall, is the people that I am making contact with, and looking for inpirational photo’s/quotes every week.  I am finding so many motivators, it is hard to narrow it down to one.  I love this saying because losing weight and feeling healthy is on my mind everyday.  Whether I’m successful at my day, or not, as long as I don’t give up, I will get there!
This weeks questions:
1. What have you done this week to help get you to your goals?  I feel like I have had about 3 days of total fail, but the one thing that stands out is my Friday workout.  I am stiffer than I have been in a while and I know that if I have more workouts like that I will reach my goals.
2. What did you do this week to make yourself feel fabulous?  I went on a much needed date with my husband for our 9th anniversary.  My hub’s has been working so hard lately that it is hard to have alone time, and he makes me feel fabulous
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  What are your goals?  Ambitions?  I know it may sound plain and traditional, but I see myself with more kids, having healthy pregnancies, and living an all around healthier life.  My goals are to lose the 120 pounds I set out to lose from the beginning, completing my first marathon, and hopefully beginning a program to get my personal training certificate.  I have some lofty goals I want to achieve!
4. Give us a tip or a fact.  About anything, what is something great that you think everyone should know?  ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST!!!  The day’s that I do the best eating is when it has started out with a good breakfast.  It is truly the most important meal of the day, and starts your whole day off right.
5. Fun Question:  What was the most recent dream you remember?  The only dreams I remember are bad ones, so I will not scare you with the details of my last one.  I can always tell when I have a good one, I am in a good mood when I wake up.  I wish I could remember more details :(
After basically falling of the healthy eating wagon the last almost 4 days (seriously!?), I am ready (and need) to have a good week.  I am hoping that a lot of it is water retention and that I can shape back up by weigh in day.  If not, at least I will know why.
Happy Monday everyone!  Check back later for Friend Making Mondays!
4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on October 3, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in About Me, Challenges, Events, Fall, Fire It Up for Fall, Goals, Inspiration, Motivation

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 3, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/03/fire-it-up-for-fall-week-3/

Magic is Something That You Make!

This post kicks of week 2 of the Fire it Up for Fall Challenge! If you missed the first post you can read it here.

I know it doesn’t LOOK inspiring, but it’s inspiring in the fact that it helps remind me that a 1 pound loss is still 1 more pound less that I have to lose.  Looking at a 120 pound goal weight loss is overwhelming, and this little picture helps remind me that with time I will get there.  And maybe one day I will strike a pose like that on the scale!

Here is a great quote that describes my entire attitude towards weight loss:

“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.”
-John C. Maxwell (Source)

When I found that, I thought to myself, this is me in a nut shell.

5 Questions of the week:

1. What have you done this week to help you achieve your goals?  What haven’t I done?!  I currently have 4 challenges going on right now.  One that started this last week was the Gold’s Gym 8 week challenge.  Then I extended the 6 days of perfection challenge  where I track everything I eat everyday and get all of my healthy checks in.

2. What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?  I’ve eaten better everyday, and in turn it has made me feel good about myself.  It has made me a happier person all week-long.

3. What is your talent (generally everyone has something big or small)?  I feel like a lot of my talents are hard to explain.  A simple one is I can sing.  This next one I never believed until a few years ago, but I am a leader.  I have the power of persuasion (not to be confused with manipulation), and I have very good communication skills (and help people who can’t communicate, or won’t, to open up).  I was in retail management for almost 10 years and I ALWAYS got along with my staff, even when it wasn’t easy.  I never really looked at any of that as a talent, until I started looking around and noticing that I was better at it than a lot of other people.

4. What’s been the highlight of your week, toot your horn, what are you proud of? My 3.4 pound weight loss!  I have moved down a decade of numbers and am now in the 250′s.  I am only 5 pounds away from my 10% Weight Watchers goal and this will be the first official time that I have not quit  WW before I got to my 10% goal!

5. Fun Question: What’s your guilty pleasure TV show?  I don’t think I really have a guilty pleasure TV show, at least none that I am embarrassed by.  A weird one is probably “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”.  They drive me INSANE and it only makes me angry when I watch it because they are so out of touch with reality, but I find myself glued to an episode if I haven’t seen it.  My only hope is that the other people watching it share my attitude towards them.  Man I hate that show.

Monday’s are full of fun post’s so check back for Friend Making Monday!



14 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 26, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in About Me, Challenges, Fire It Up for Fall, Goals, Inspiration, Motivation, Power, Weight Watchers

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 26, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/26/magic-is-something-that-you-make/

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 51 other followers