Week 1 Update: How I’m Staying Motivated and On Track

5 days DOWN!  Almost a week in and I’m feeling REALLY good!!  I want to thank you all again for your support and encouragement this past week.  It has been amazing and much appreciated.

I’m not yet one complete week down, but I wanted to give you an update on my progress. :)

MOTIVATION: 

Okay I’m bringing back Tony Robbins again on this one because what I’m about to share made a huge impact on me.

1. In order to change something in your life (lose weight, stop smoking), the change has to be a MUST and not a SHOULD.  A ‘should’ is convenient, but not consistent.  (We can say ‘I should lose a few lbs’ all day long, but until it is a ‘Holy CRAP I HAVE to lose 5 lbs to fit in my wedding dress!!’ it’s not happening.)

2. I MUST change and nobody else can do it for me (which means the only one responsible at the end of the day is me.. and I can’t blame not succeeding on my boyfriend for bringing home cheese from the grocery store).

3. I CAN change.  Am I going to put a ton of energy and effort into something I don’t think is going to work?  Of course not! (A fitness photo shoot is something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time and I KNOW if I want it bad enough I can do it!!)

So here’s what really hit home.

“Change is not a matter of ability, but a matter of leverage.”  If you have enough motivation to change, it will happen!!  So by including all of you in this, I knew I had my leverage because all of you would be expecting a kickin’ hot body at the end of 60 days.. and I’m NOT about to let any of you down.

On Sunday, I made this motivation vision board and put it front and center on my fridge.. and removed everything else off. It is a constant reminder of what I’m doing this for.

*MY TOP TIPS FOR STAYING ON TRACK*

1. PREPPING: I went to Whole Foods on Sunday and bought everything I needed for the upcoming week.  BUT here’s what I did differently than before.  Nothing went in my fridge until it was prepared to eat.  That means before my carrots hit the shelf, they were peeled, cut and in containers.  My chicken didn’t go in raw… it went in already cooked in coconut oil and ready to eat.  That goes for EVERYTHING!  That way nothing will go to waste (I hate throwing away bad produce that I didn’t eat) and I can honestly say I’ve got nothing to toss now that the week is almost over.

2. SUPPORT SYSTEM: I let everyone know about this challenge and asked my support system (boyfriend, family, friends, and all of YOU!) for your support and encouragement.  That way my boyfriend now knows ahead of time that there won’t be any sushi or Red Mesa Cantina in his near future unless he goes with his buddies.

3. FOOD JOURNAL:  I’m writing down everything I eat and putting it into a Word document journal.  This is actually to make sure I’m eating ENOUGH!  I’m eating every 3 hours so I want to track my meals.  This helps to keep me accountable and on my plan.  My goal is to never be starving and never be full.. but to have about 5 small CLEAN meals daily.

4. WEEKENDS: I can’t answer this yet because it is still Friday, but I can honestly say I don’t even have the desire to ‘cheat’ yet.  When I first decided to do this, I agreed to let myself have 1 cheat meal each week.  But, I am feeling really good and want to keep this up!  I am still going out with friends tonight (I’m not going to be a hermit for 60 days), but we’ve already picked the restaurant out and I already know exactly what I’m ordering to stay clean.

5. EATING OUT: Yesterday I had my first meal out in a restaurant.  I knew where I was going, so I checked out the menu ahead of time.  But – I couldn’t find anything clean enough, so I asked the waiter for something not on the menu.  I just asked for a salad with mixed greens and a chicken breast with NOTHING on it and a side of EVOO.  Normally at home I’d be eating lots more veggies and a healthy fat source, but to be on the safe side I just kept it simple.  Don’t be afraid to order off the menu!

PROGRESS:

Since last Friday, I’m down 5 pounds and my jeans are seriously falling off me. (Glad my boot camp pants are elastic!)  I’m lifting heavier than normal (I’ll go much more detailed into my meal plan and workouts on my next update) so I’m feeling stronger in my back and shoulders.  I’m sleeping SO much better and not needing as much sleep either!  I’m eating eating every 3-4 hours and increased my protein intake (I’m building more muscle at this point), so I’m rarely hungry.

ANY SURPRISES?

YES.  I’m pretty sure I mentioned frozen yogurt and my late night cravings for cheese tend to get the best of me.  If it made its way into the freezer, it’s not staying there very long!  But… there are 2 pints of frozen yogurt in there right now and I honestly have no desire to touch them.  I think Tony Robbins was right that when your motivation is strong enough.. you WILL change.  Well, I REALLY want this.  I REALLY want to look awesome for my photo shoot in less than 2 months and I know that frozen yogurt is NOT going to get me there!  Now, I might tell you something different next week, but that’s where I’m at now! :)

FEEDBACK:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and share this experience with me!  I’d love to hear what questions you have so I can answer them in my next update.  Please comment below and let me know.  Also, let me know if you’d like to hear more from me throughout the week and what kinds of things you’d like me to post on Facebook. :)

If you are doing this 60 day challenge with me, how has your progress been so far?  Share below!

Sincerely,

Laura