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Healthy Eating / Weight Loss Challenge Results

August 7, 2017 |

Healthy Eating / Weight Loss Challenge Results!

I finished the July healthy eating / weight loss challenge. I can’t say that I finished strong but I did finish and that’s what matters.

Healthy eating is hard! I know it is easy for some of you guys. Unfortunately it is really challenging for me. I have a hard time not eating yummy snacks even when I know they are not good for me. Remembering my “whys” help. They kept me from giving up on the challenge when I messed up. Instead I just tried to keep doing and do better. Here are a few of my “whys” as in why I am trying to get healthier:

To get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy and baby.
I do not want diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer (all ailments my parents and other family members have had.
To feel more confident and like my body more.
More options when shopping
This is a new one. I want to be under the weight restrictions at all of the rides at Disney. I need to go to Disney and I need to be able to ride everything I want when I get there.

Those are my 5 main whys. They are also the reasons I decided to continue on in the challenge group in August. I had good results (which I’ll get to in a moment) despite having a hard time. I want to keep the momentum going.

So here is how I did. Here are my July Healthy Eating / Weight Loss Challenge Results.

Pounds lost – 6
Inches lost – 11.75
Main areas of welcomed shrinkage – waist (-6 inches) hips (- 4 inches)

So that’s my update. Overall I give myself a pat on the back for a job well done.

Here are my before and after pictures.

What is your why? Why do you stay committed to eating healthy? What healthy eating tips can you share with me?

Speaking of updates I did not share my baby making update here on the blog this week. But, I did post the video on YouTube. Click here >>> Baby Making Update<<< to check it out.

July Weight Loss & Healthy Eating Challenge Update & SMART Goals

July 17, 2017 |

It’s time for an update! Last week I told you guys that I joined a weight loss healthy eating challenge. It’s been a full week now that I have been meal prepping, working out daily, and drinking tons of water.

Before I go into my week 1 results let me first share that this has indeed been a challenge.

I went to the dentist earlier this week. This is important because I hate going to the dentist. I normally reward myself after my check up with a treat. Specifically, a food treat. I’d usually go to The Cheesecake Factory and get a slice of Cheesecake to go. Or, I’d stop in one of the other restaurants and get something special. I couldn’t do that this time because of this healthy eating & weight loss challenge. It was super hard to resist and get out of my old pattern. But I did. I reminded myself that it’s called a challenge for a reason. So I just needed to woman up, soldier it, and treat myself in some other way. So I got something from the Lush store instead of a treat.

Another day another challenge. . 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ********************************** I hate going to the dentist. It hurts, gives me anxiety and costs $$$. Normally after an exam I would treat myself to something yummy from one of the nearby restaurants. This time I did not. . 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ********************************** I really wanted a treat but stayed focused on thia challenge. I told myself if it were easy it would not be called a challenge. . 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ********************************** Instead of using good as a reward I treated myself to a body bar from @lushcosmetics. It has sparkles! Now I don’t want to trade 1 bad habit, eating as an award, for another, shopping as an award. How do you “treat” yourself??? . 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ********************************** #ChasingJoy #SelfCare #weightLossChallenge #HealthyEatingChallenge #Lush

A post shared by Arlett R. Hartie (@chasingjoy) on Jul 12, 2017 at 2:50pm PDT

Another challenge I faced was just not wanting to eat the meals that I prepped. I think I mentioned before that I have a hard time sticking to planned meals because the things that I think I want and Sunday are often not what I actually end up wanting later in the week. So far this has rang true for this Challenge. By Wednesday I definitely didn’t really want my prepped food. But I basically stuck to the plan about 80% and did okay. This week I’ll be adding some of the things I was craving this week.

My hormones ended up being another challenge this week. On Saturday I woke up completely wanting to quit this challenge. I didn’t want to meal prep anymore. I didn’t want to stick to the plan. I didn’t want to focus on the water. I wanted the day off from working out. I just didn’t want to do any of it anymore. But, I realize that how I was feeling didn’t make sense. I can look in the mirror and see that the hard work was paying off. Also the scale was moving in the right direction. There was no real reason for me to want to just abandon the challenge.

I thought a little bit and realize that what was really going on. I had stopped taking a birth control pill that I have to take some time as part of my fertility treatment and the shift in my hormones was causing me to feel down, anxious, and ready to give up. So I had to remind myself of something a therapist once told me. Sometimes feelings are just feelings and we don’t have to act on all of them. So, I decided to just keep going with the challenge. I acknowledged those feelings but I didn’t need to do anything different based on them. By the way I did a quick video on this in the Chasing Joy Facebook group so check that out if you’re a member and if you’re not a member click here to join us.

As you can see it has been a challenge indeed. But I have made it through week one and I have no intention of giving up. I will continue on through weeks two and three. Even though this was called a July healthy eating weight loss challenge it’s really just 21 days. So they’re just two weeks left. What will keep me going and encouraged is my results from Week 1.

So here’s how I did, I lost a total of 3.75 inches. Most of it came from my waist and hips which is awesome. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of confidence in my ability to measure myself so these numbers could be off. However, my clothes feel looser so so they can’t be too far off. I also lost 2.8 pounds. This is also great because at the fertility clinic they really only care about the pounds. They could care less about inches because the pounds are what they used to calculate the BMI and certain fertility treatments have certain BMI requirements. You can find out more about that in my baby making update videos.

So overall it’s going well and I’m proud of myself for sticking through Week 1. I’m thankful for you guys as support on Facebook and Instagram where I’ve been sharing my meal prep and some of my meals.

For the next two weeks of a challenge I am going to make some SMART goals. I know I am more likely to achieve my goals if I make them SMART. So goal one will be to read my affirmation three times a day. I mentioned that I created an affirmation last week but I have not been consistent with reading it and saying it out loud. Smart goal number two is to stick to my plan and prepped meals exactly on July 23rd. The reason for this is I am hosting a barbecue on July 22nd. I’m planning to give myself a day off from my prepped meals but I don’t want it to turn into a week off or a complete derailment from the plan. Therefore, I’m going to focus on July 23rd being a great on plan day. Here are the smart details.

Goal 1 – Affirmation

Specific -Yes, read my weight loss/ healthy eating challenge affirmation 3 times a day

Measurable -Yes, three times daily

Actionable – Set phone alarm for 3 times a day as a reminder to say affirmation. Times set for work and non workdays

Realistic – Yes

Time Sensitive – Yes, Through 7/29

Goal 1 – Stick to Meal Plan 100% on 7/23
Specific – Yes, Have all planned meals as prepped on 7/23
Measurable – Yes
Actionable – Prep all meals for 7/23 on or before 7/21
Realistic – Yes
Time Sensitive – Yes, one day 7/23

I love getting advice from you. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to have an easier time sticking to my prepped meals? Do you have any other advice related to transitioning to a healthier diet and sticking to a weight loss challenge. I also love words of encouragement and support so don’t forget to leave some in the comments below along with your advice.

Chasing Joy With a Weight Loss & Healthy Eating Challenge

July 10, 2017 |

Chasing Joy With a Weight Loss & Healthy Eating Challenge

My “before” photos.

Guess who has two thumbs, writes a blog, and joined a weight loss & healthy eating challenge. That’s right this girl!

Today is day 1 of a July healthy eating & weight loss challenge that I joined via a Facebook group. The challenge is actually using the methods of the 21 Day Fix from Beachbody including the Shakeology. This is so not something I would normally do, LOL. However, I was inspired by my friend who show some awesome results for the month of June. So I decided to join her in July.

Okay guys so my weight has been an issue for me since I was about 11 or 12 years old. I think I was overweight even before that, but sixth grade was the first time I remember being made fun of about my weight and becoming very conscious of it. This is been an ongoing battle of the bulge. Needless to say I have tried many many many different diets. Some of them worked short term but thus far nothing has worked permanently.

A few years back I decided to stop dieting and to only try things that would help me to make permanent lifestyle changes that would lead to permanent results. So, that is how I am approaching this challenge.

The basic premise of this challenge is to begin making lifestyle changes by developing the habit of eating healthy foods, meal prepping, drinking lots of water, and exercising regularly over the next 21 days.

Hopefully you guys follow me on Instagram and Facebook. If you do then you know that I’m already pretty good at the regular exercise. I consistently go to the gym, go for a long walk outside, or workout at home on average 3 to 4 times per week for at least 30 minutes. So I’m pretty good in that area. Where I struggle is with my eating habits.

What I like about this challenge so far is that its focus is 80% diet and it 20% Fitness. Additionally the challenge requires us to be supportive of one another and to focus on changing our mentality. This is exactly what I need.

In the past when I’ve tried to change my diet I have been unsuccessful. I have been able to make short-term changes but not able to stick with them long term. I think this is because I have not yet got to the point where I changed my mentality. So I’m excited that this challenge also focuses on that.

I shared this on social media so I’ll share it here as well. In the spirit of honesty and transparency I have to tell you that I have struggled to stick with meal plans. In the past I have given in to cravings, struggled with portions, and then given up. With this challenge before we began the healthy eating, exercise, or meal prep parts we had to share with the group our why, meaning our reason for joining the challenge. We also had to share what excuses we have used in the past.

Answering these questions has been helpful for me. I used my answers to come up with a positive self-talk affirmation. I text the affirmation to myself everyday and read it out loud to help me stay focused. My hope is this positive self-talk will help me to stick to this plan where I have failed others. While I won’t share my affirmation because that’s personal for me I will share that part of my why is to go into my next frozen embryo transfer as healthy and at the healthiest weight I can.

So guys be ready to see more of my food and meal plans than you have seen me post before. I’ll be sharing them on my Instagram and Facebook and Twitter. I will also be updating here on the blog. I think I’m also going to develop some SMART goals to help me with this challenge as well so stay tuned for that and lots of food photos.

Getting to a healthy weight and being healthy to get pregnant and stay pregnant is definitely part of how I am Chasing Joy. I’m going to need you guys for support. Thanks in advance.

Have you ever done a weight loss & healthy eating challenge? What about the 21 Day Fix, ever try that? How do you eat healthy do you meal plan or use some other kind of strategy? And for those of you who do meal plan, how do you make yourself stick to the plan through the whole week? Is it just a case of willpower?

Increase Blog Traffic With #FlashbackFriday: Hypnosis For Weight Loss

February 27, 2015 |

Happy Friday!

I have a few things on the agenda this weekend, a birthday dinner, a luncheon, church and the Philadelphia Flower Show. I hope you have some fun things planned.

Before you get immersed in your weekend take a moment to link up for #FlashbackFriday. #FlashbackFriday is a blogger link up. Every Friday on Chasing Joy we flash back to some of our older posts to give them a moment in the spotlight. It’s fun and a good way to increase blog traffic, find new blogs to read, and find new readers for your blog. Pick any older post from your blog and add it below. You can also increase blog traffic by sharing your post on the Chasing Joy Facebook page and on Twitter using the hashtag #FlashbackFriday. Also, I will Pin your post to the new #FlashbackFirday Pinterest Board.

** Please Note** Linkys only work when everyone plays fair. Be sure to visit at least two other blogs from the link up and leave a comment. Pick any two you like or keep it simple and visit the two blogs linked up before yours. If you link up early be sure to come back and visit blogs that linked up after you.

This week I am linking up another post about my hypnosis for weight loss experience. Spoiler Alert, I’m still overweight. LOL Checkout the post anyway.

My favorite posts from last week’s link up are:

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie – I enjoy a good smoothie.

Savvy Working Gal‘s take on BossyPants.

Fitnessbuster by Gillian Stephen – in the spirit of Lent.

Now it is your turn. Add your link below.
What are you linking up this week and what have you been Pinning?

PS. Come back next week for a Pinterest Project update.

Try, Try, and Try Again for Joyful Weight Loss

October 28, 2013 |

If at first you don’t succeed then try and try again. That is the old saying. I think I must have tried and tried again about a million times when it comes to managing my weight. Ok. Maybe not a million times but certainly hundreds if not thousands of times over the last 20 years (side note: I don’t feel old enough to have been doing anything for 20 years) and I will keep trying. We all have things that come easy and other things that pose as a real challenge. I accept the fact that weight loss and weight control are the things that pose as a challenge for me. I don’t ever crave fruit or veggies and cake and fried foods always call my name. This is a combination for weight gain. So I have to really focus to make and stick to healthy changes. But I will continue to try and try again because I know I’m worth it.

Right now I am trying again using dietbet.com. This is my 3rd dietbet. The first one was challenging but I did well and lost 11.5lbs. The 2nd time I did not do well at all. I was not focused and then I didn’t try very hard once it was not likely I’d make the goal. This time I should not have as many distractions so I am going to try, try, and try again. I’m going to do the things I did the 1st time I tried dietbet.

As you see in the collage above one thing that worked the 1st time was cooking more at home. So yesterday I tried a new recipe. I made a roast pork loin. I don’t eat a lot of pork (other than bacon) so I’ve never even had pork loin. I got the recipe from the clean eating plan from Emeals.

The recipe was pretty easy. I actually did not measure anything so I can’t give you the precise details but I’m confident you can totally wing it if you try this yourself.

Season the pork loin with your preferred seasoning salt or salt and pepper. Then brown the loin on all sides in a pan with olive oil.

While the meat is browning, in a separate bowl, mix Dijon mustard (I did not have Dijon so I did spicy brown mustard with a little syrup added to sweeten it a little) garlic, and rosemary. When the meat is browned on all sides put it in a roasting pan and coat it with the mustard mixture.

Roast the loin in the oven at 325 for about 30 minutes. You should check it with a meat thermometer to make sure it is done all the way through.

Once it is done, let it sit for a few minutes. Then slice and serve. Yum!!!!

I’m not sure of the calorie count of a few slices of pork loin. But I’m pretty sure it is less than the calories in frozen pizza, hamburgers, Chinese food or other takeout which is what finds its way into my diet when I don’t cook at home.

Today is #MakeitHappenMonday so my goals for this week are to keep trying , trying, and trying again by eating more at home, finding some good sides and veggies to have with the pork loin, and making it to the gym 3 more times. If I stick to these goals I should be on track for my deitbet.

We are all different, what areas of your life do you find yourself trying, trying, and trying again? Do you like a pork loin? What do you serve with it? What are your goals for #MakeitHappenMonday

Hypnosis for Weight Loss: The Disappearing Line

August 29, 2012 |

I’m still investing in my health and desire to treat my body as a temple by exploring Hypnosis for Weight Loss. Check out my thoughts on my last session.

I’m glad that I went to that session. I found this session and the first session to be the most helpful. I liked the idea of me getting to decide for myself what is good for me and not trying to fit my lifestyle into some predetermined diet plan. From this last session I loved the visual of the barrier between the me that I am right now and the me that I want to be fading. It is kind of a freeing idea that whatever is in the way and blocking my potential can be removed. To help me hold on to that visual I came up with the following image for myself.

It is not easy to admit some of the ways I feel about myself now. I like to think I have higher self esteem but excess body weight weighs on the spirit just as much as it weights on the body. In some cases Honesty is the best policy. I hope it is true in this case. I hope being honest with myself about my true feelings and how I want to feel will be a great incentive to go for the healthy changes I have been working on. I also hope that focusing on how I want to feel and what I can do to get there will be bring about a more positive mind set.

But the most important part of the image is the faded line in the middle. Seeing the line between me now and where I want to be fading is a reminder that it is possible to make these transitions. To see myself as not only pretty but sexy, to no longer fear insults and feel confident. It is possible to look in the mirror and see that the way I imagine myself and the way I look in reality are one and the same.

Imagine the barriers between your life now and your more joyful life fading away. What would be on the sides of your movie screen? How do you see yourself and feel now and how do you think you will see yourself and feel after you tackle your own personal challenges?

Hypnosis for Weight Loss: Not Magic, But it’s Alright

July 19, 2012 |

It has been a few weeks since my being put under hypnosis for weight loss. Since then every time I go to eat a potato chip I feel the need to cover my mouth tightly with my hands. Just kidding LOL. Actually there have been no adverse effects.

If you remember, my first time being hypnotized included a story about a Queen (who I assumed was me) who bases her food choices on what is good for her. For a little while after I did find myself thinking often “is this good for me to have” when faced with a menu or meal option. I wish I could say that resulted in me only having what was good for me in every occasion but I have not been lying on this blog so I better not start.

The hypnotherapist said that hypnosis was not a magic pill for weight loss. She was right. I have been gaining and losing the same 1.5 lbs the last few weeks. The good thing about this it means that I am doing some things that lead to weight loss. The bad thing about it is that it means I have not been consistent enough with those behaviors.

The major change that I feel is a direct result of the hypnosis is that I have been able to make many choices that were good for me without feeling deprived. I have thrown in some days where I do not have any junk food and I did not feel that I was missing out. I knew that I could have them again on another day. I have been able to have a large salad much more often for dinner (my mom’s suggestion 🙂 and I have not felt resentful or that I was having rabbit food. I feel my attitude toward changing my diet and food in general improving. I give the hypnosis the credit.

With there being positive but no negative results of the hypnosis. I figured I’d keep the appointment I had made and go ahead and meet with the hypnotherapist again. This third meeting was my 2nd time being put under. I initially i did not feel the 2nd hypnosis went as well as the first. However, by the end of the session I changed my mind. This session was… Wait! instead reading about it check out the video I made right after the session.

I bet most of you have tried to lose wight before. Have you ever spent time working on your thoughts and attitudes about food or do you think it is all calories in vs calories burned???

It’s Feel Good Friday – Funny Story – Weight Loss Plan

April 16, 2010 |

So It is Feel Good Friday. That means it’s time for me to share something positive, uplifting, funny or inspirational. You know something that will make you feel good. 🙂

Check out this funny weight loss joke I found at the website –Funny Story – Weight Loss Plan

“A man calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10lb weight loss program. The next day, there’s a knock on the door and there stands before him a Voluptious, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck. She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company. The sign reads “If you can catch me, you can have me.” Without a second thought, he takes off after her. A few miles later huffing and puffing, he finally gives up. The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens. On the fifth day, he weights himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10lbs, as promised. He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program. The next day there’s a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning and beautiful woman he’s ever seen in his life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, “If your catch me you can have me.” Well, he’s out the door after her like a shot. The girl is in excellent shape and he does his best, but no such luck. So for the next four days’ the same routine happens with him gradually getting in better and better shape. Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weights himself, he discovers that he has lost another 20 pounds as promised. He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the seven day fifty pound program. “Are you sure?” asks the representative on the phone. “This is our most rigorous program “Absolutely” he replies, I haven’t felt this good in years.” The next day there’s a knock at the door’; and when he opens it he finds a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, ” If I catch you, you are mine!!! he lost 63 pounds that week.”

LOL…

Laughter… a close relative of Joy.

13 Joyful Reasons to Lose Weight

May 13, 2013 |

I need to lose weight! 🙁 This is not a new statement. If you’ve been Chasing Joy with me since the beginning, then you know I have been trying to get healthier and learn to treat my body like a temple for a long time. Like forever. I have not been successful yet. I say yet because I have not given up.

Last week I read two blogs that resonated with me, Skinny Jeans Dreams and Phit-N-Phat. There were several ideas that stuck with me from these blogs. Not giving up when you go off track. Instead of saying to hell with it and binge out after going over my calories or a weight gain, just getting back on track. Making small changes and doing things that make staying on track easy.

In addition to the above I realized that perhaps my problem has been that I have not really zeroed in on why I want and need to lose weight. I need to articulate it in a way that can be referenced easily. I need to focus on my Why!

So here are 13 reasons why I want to lose weight.

I want to feel comfortable to go to the doctor to address any health concerns and not put it off because I don’t want a lecture about my weight.
I want to eat without pain or experiencing heart burn and acid reflux.
I want to have more options when shopping.
I want to feel more confident.
I want friends and family to feel more willing to introduce me to eligible bachelors and not hesitate because they are not sure their guy friends like bigger girls.
I want to feel lighter on my feet when exercising.
I want to feel in control of what goes in my body.
I want to get healthier as I get older.
I want to remain free of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer.
I want to have a healthy pregnancy when that time comes.
I want to have lots and lots of options for my future wedding dress.
I want to not feel self conscious or worry about people making mean comments about my weight.
I want my Joy to not be limited by my weight.

Do you need to lose weight, or make any other health changes to have a more Joyful life? If so have you figured out your Why???

Updates! Updates! Updates!

July 28, 2017 |

This week I planned to give you guys three blog post.

My thoughts on the book the The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight.
An update on how I’m doing with my July Healthy Eating / Weight Loss challenge
My weekly baby making update on trying to conceive

But that is not what happened because… life. Fear not, I am not going to leave you wondering how I am doing with the challenge. We are going to go over that right now before diving into this week’s baby making update.

Healthy Eating Weight Loss Challenge Update

Honestly week two was hard. I was able to really stick to the plan the first week but started to really rave sweets in week two. I also have struggled with not wanting the food I prepped on Sunday later in the week. I ended up tossing several dishes that went uneaten. I did do really good with my workouts and have not missed any days. I also did better with getting in my water. I was able to finish my entire gallon of water 3 or 4 times compared to only 1 time the first week.

Despite giving into snacking and not sticking to the plan as diligently as week 1 I still lost weight. In week 2 I lost 4 inches mostly from my waist and 2.6 lbs. So it was a good week after all!

Baby Making Update

Now, here is our usually baby making update. Time is moving and I am slowly progressing towards another frozen embryo transfer. Finally the 8 weeks since my Cuba trip have passed. That means I can finally have my Zika blood work done. Cuba was a level two Zika risk so my fertility clinic said I had to be tested before I could proceed with any more fertility tests. So here is what happened…. watch the video.