Insanity Max 30, Knitting, and Other Odds and Ends

I've spend some time over the last few weeks getting back to me. What does that mean? I have no idea, but I've been doing it. 

Over the last week, I have been up at 5 am, which is just an ugly hour, to work out. I decided on Insanity Max:30. I love Shaun T and find him funny and very motivational. He inspires and does the workout to, so it is kinda nice to watch him get his ass handed to him while I get mine handed to me. This has reduced my food cravings. In the food world, I have worked toward balance. I am enjoying my meals, my wine, my coffee. But I am focusing on moderation with the 21 Day Fix food plan. I am rebuilding my relationship with food. This means, I'm eating good, healthy foods. MOST importantly, I'm not beating myself up for not being perfect. The result this week? Less food stress, more working out, and clothes fitting loser. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: I stepped on the scale and NO MOVEMENT and I was damn pissed. BUT, I measured, compared and saw inches move down. Dont trust the scale. It LIES. Reduction in inches dont always happen early either. BUT, in my case it did. It was a reminder to me to focus and be happy, results will come. 

In getting back to me, I guess I should let you know I knit. I LOVE to knit. And I'm pretty good at it. Not outstanding, but good enough where my stuff fits when I make it and I'm pretty proud of it. It had been a while since I knitted. I picked it back up in December to reduce stress and it is working. I made a few gifts for the holidays and now am finishing up some socks (hope this week) for me. I have planned 2 more projects and have set goals to do 1 project a month.

In other news, work has kept me stressed, which is why working out and knitting have been great stress reducers. I am planning a trip in the beginning of March to see my parents. A mini 2 day cruise and a tattoo is planned for then as well. In between all this is my masters program. 

I'm feeling like I'm on the right path. I have amazing support. Every day is better.

Binge Eating and Personal Development - The Hunger Fix - A Journey Through A Book

Something you may or may not know about me: I am a binge eater and a food addict. There it is in all it's ugly glory. I have always been embarrassed about this. I never talked about it. I never shared it. I would eat a small amount in comparison others because I was so worried about my size and them seeing me eat. When you are the biggest one of all of your friends, you notice, and they did too (I'm sure of it). Again, it was never really talked about. I would eat at home. I would hide food in my room, junk food of all kinds. I hid my food and my guilt. It was not until the last few months that I finally started to address it. For me, it is embarrassing, but if I am going to get better, I have to address it. How? I started to really look into it and read up on it. I needed to get under the problem. Address it head on. By working on my personal development, I grow as a person and learn more. That, my friends, is where I started. This brings me to The Hunger Fix by Dr. Pam Peeke. I first heard about this book when I was listening to a podcast by Chalene Johnson.

Food addicts exist, and worse, it is a scary drug. DRUG? It's food. Yes, that is what makes it scary. Food addicts get a hit of their drug every day. You HAVE to have food to live. While other drug addicts can go to rehab and get away from it, food addicts cannot. They use false fixes to help them feel better. It affects the dopamine in the brain (something I had no idea about). This book talked about taking that false fix and making it a healthy fix and using other ways to get that "fix" and get the happy centers of the brain to work.

This book had me do activities. Video journals, written journals, foods I like verses food I would eat on a binge on my worst days and the calories that go with them. This book really opened my eyes to what I was doing to my body. It also had personal stories from people who suffered and are in continued recovery. The book also explained it is easy to fall back to old habits and the importance of being vigilant. It walked me through different stages and steps to take. It also gave different recipes that were healthy and balanced.

There are some important tips in the book that I have been doing and have learned in the last few months of doing Beachbody. I want to share them with you because I've been there and am working on bettering myself.

• Surround yourself with positive supportive people
• Get rid of the junk in your house
• Get rid of your trigger foods
• Get moving
• Balanced food + intentional exercise = weight loss 
• Be present in what you do. This takes away mindless eating
• Quality, Quantity (portion control), and Frequency (eat every 3 hours) are important

It's not easy. I will NEVER say it is. There are programs out there to help you. I found the one that helps me and I work with others to help them as well. The journey of recovery comes with lots of rewards. I coach because I can relate. This book helped me to work on myself as well as ignite a passion to help others. If you are struggling, reach out to me. I'm happy to help and support you in your recovery. Read the book.

Book Rating: Read it! Contains information on how the brain works and how to apply that to recovery.