Jonahgirl’s BodyBlog

A few blogs ago I asked the question What is Your Carrot? What drives you to succeed? Now for the flipside. What is your flying monkey. What or who consistently seems to block your path. Is it work? family? frenemies? (enemies disguised as friends)

I have one giant flying monkey right now. My husband. The so-so support I had in the beginning is gone. He does not like the "new me’. He hasn’t come right out and said it except in a round about way. "I don’t like muscles on women". He has suggested I need to put back on about 20lbs. He likes my hair better short and thinks that I should wear baggier clothes.

Since I haven’t followed any such suggestion I am sort of getting the semi-silent treatment. He talks to me when others are around but barely when we are alone.

I will continue to set new goals, workout six days and week and eat clean and healthy and he will probably continue to sleep on the sofa.

Call it self-discipline, will power, self-control, personal rules, or whatever term is current these days. I was asked on Friday how I can be so disciplined about working out and eating clean. I really didn’t have an answer so I said, "I just like how I feel."
But there has to be more to it than that right? I’ve been thinking on it.
It is true I don’t miss workouts because "I don’t feel like it" mostly because so far I haven’t felt that way. I have missed workouts due to a fever, a broken rib, and being out of town. Why don’t I miss? Part of it is the addiction to the endorphin rush I get after I work out. For me it is quite intense. I just have to get my fix. I look forward to it more than the first cup of coffee each day. Sunday is my off day (the gym is closed). By Monday I am itching to go back in and hate waiting until 4pm to head back. ( I do have the benefit of having the gym in the same building where I work.)
On eating I just have to say that I have a goal and now that it is clearly in sight I just want it more than I want any dessert or pile of french fries. I choose one thing a week that I really want (craving) and I have it usually on a Friday or Saturday. This way the food has to be crave-worthy (more than four days) for me to bend my rules. (The only exception would be  the absolutely forbidden food : Oreos. I just wouldn’t be able to stop until the entire bag was gone. As far as I am concerned they need to be wrapped in crime scene tape.)
Is it discipline, determination, motivation? I wish I knew where I get it. I wish I could bottle it and sell it on eBay.
I know it is probably related to my personality in general. I tend to do things at 150%. I am not a robot though. If I don’t like doing something I tend to put it off. (i.e. cleaning my house and doing laundry come to mind).
So after all this rambling I guess I am back to "I like the way I feel". It was the most honest answer I could give at the time.

If I had an Oreo for each time someone asked me this tonight…It was my turn to work behind the coffee bar at church tonight. Each Wednesday night a Sunday School class brings desserts to share after the service. I had about 12 dozen cookies to give out: all kinds- chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, white chocolate chip, assorted candy filled cookies, and two types of brownies. Not in the least bit tempted (okay I’ll be honest I did eye a corner brownie. I like the chewy corners). It isn’t that I don’t like cookies, I do. If any had been Oreos I would have had to leave. I have no self control with them what so ever. It is best to pretend they don’t exist.

I don’t know what is in the air lately but I have been inundated with calls from copier salesman. We only have four copiers (3 B&W and one color) and you guessed it - one of my jobs is to handle the leases. I met with the salesman today who handles the color copier. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. We have emailed and talked on the phone but he hasn’t seen me. I met him in the reception area and he didn’t recognize me until I said his name.  I wish I had a camera. His expression made my day. I hope it is a preview of things to come. I am heading to South Florida in July to see friends I haven’t seen since weighing 160+. Already have my string bikini for my few days in the Keys.

We all have different "carrots on the stick" that keep up going. My original carrot was simply to lower my cholesterol with exercise so I would no longer have to take Zetia. It was to be a three month experiment. Within two weeks the major part of my carrot changed to the addictive feeling I got after working out. I had energy to spare and slept better than ever.
Cholesterol was conquered and my carrot kept evolving. I started seeing some muscle definition and wanted more and more. My weight continued to drop as I began to eat with the goal of lowering body fat. My latest carrot is a combination of wanting to see my abs and getting rid of the final tiny bit of cellulite above my knees (bought a short denim skirt for that piece of carrot) I would be lying if I didn’t mention the compliments I get being part of the carrot (let’s say it is the leafy green part on top). And yes, I am still addicted to the post workout euphoria.
One of the questions I regularly get is HOW can I work out six days a week. The answer isn’t simple. I have so many reasons to do it they outweigh the few meager reasons not too.

So what is your carrot?

Visited my friend in another state. After the initial shock of seeing the changes in me (she walked right by me at the baggage claim) we settled into a busy but fun weekend. The only downside is she is a Carboholic on Weight Watchers and I am cutting carbs down and eat lots of protein. We ended up eating out a lot since she didn’t have much healthy things to speak of. Luckily, on a last minute whim I threw a box of protein bars into my suitcase. That saved the day.