Looking a Little More Fluffy

 

My absolute favorite Barrett look is when he gets all fluffy. Living in Florida, the fluff gets hot for him so I don't let him stay fluffy for long, but damn if he isn't the snuggliest little dude ever when his hair gets all long! However, I don't like me as much when I get all fluffy. It's not nearly as cute to see or snuggle up to I'm sure! 😅

To be transparent, I want to talk about the successes AND the struggles as I power through this weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey I'm on. Right now, I am driving the struggle bus a bit. 

Really, the number on the scale is not everything and I now know that. In the past, I have focused so much on that little digital number and would get super discouraged if I saw fluctuation, especially if it was headed in an upward direction. But losing weight is so much more than that. It's about the way you feel, the confidence you have in the way you look and yourself in general, but more importantly, maintaining a sustainable healthy lifestyle. The number on my scale has went up recently, but instead of being discouraged and quitting, I've become reflective of what caused it and motivated to change it. Here's what's been going on:

1. 9 Week Control Freak is complete - now what? 

I finished my longest Beachbody program to date and saw awesome results, both on the scale, with my measurement, and in my confidence. I got a little burnt out by the end because nine weeks is a long time, but I didn't realize how much I appreciated the consistency of my mornings until it wasn't there anymore. When I'm completing a program, I don't have to spend time thinking about what workout I should do; it's planned for me and all I have to do is check my calendar and hit play. Once it was over, I began sampling all sorts of programs and even going into the gym more. I'm starting to enjoy lifting, but do not have just a ton of confidence in myself when I'm at the gym. Hell, to be honest, I snapped at some poor man at Anytime Fitness the other day because he was trying to help me with a move, but I didn't ask for his help and it made me uncomfortable to have a stranger notice my struggles. To that man, if you ever read this, I am sorry for being a brat. My awkwardness was in control at that point. I just had to quit and walk away before I became more embarrassed than I already was. 

2. This "Treat Yo-Self" mentality that I've established all of the sudden is completely out of hand.

I think I've mentioned before how using Ultimate Portion Fix has really helped me change he way I look at food and what I put in my body to fuel it. It has allowed me to eat a ton of GOOD food and I seriously have not felt like I've been dieting. It's not a diet, it truly is a lifestyle change. Unfortunately, the decline of this all started when the Easter candy was put on the shelves. Okay, maybe I was a little too relaxed before then, but I have a major sweet tooth and I have a hard time saying no to Peeps, Starburst jelly beans, and Reese's eggs. Once I started snacking on crap, I noticed that I started craving the junk for meals, too. What's more time consuming: planning out and cooking good meals or grabbing something quick or making something easy/processed? I fell right into that trap of going for what is easy and convenient, which most of the time is nothing even remotely healthy. 

Also, have you had a corona with a shot of tequila lately? If you haven't and you are a drinker, you might be missing out. It's the best little treat, within moderation. However, I don't moderate well. A six pack of Corona and a little quality time with Jose goes together too well on a Friday night. Mix in a few drinks with bad eating and it's a recipe for disaster.

3. Life Stress

Life throws you curveballs when you least expect it, but I am a firm believer that God won't give you more than you can handle. I am a very lucky person to have the life that I do and the loved ones that I've been blessed with. But y'all, that doesn't mean that it's good all the time. It's so easy to perceive happiness through the lens of social media. I post a picture smiling and boom! I'm happy, right? We're all guilty of this. No one wants to truly share their pessimistic struggles with the world. Hell, I don't. I want to be a little ray of sunshine and show the world that I am too, but I have tornado days like everyone else. Tornados need certain components to form and when that mixture is JUST right, a nasty storm appears, possibly leaving destruction in its path depending on severity.  Life is stressful and I've had more F1/F2 tornado weather lately that sunshine. Nothing has been a full blown F5, but a tornado is a tornado. Things are not always easy and I'm not going to pretend that they are. I know "the sun will come out tomorrow," but some days, especially lately, I feel stuck in the rain, hail and wind. I let my mental fatigue coincide with physical fatigue. While I've maintained some sort of workout plan (thank goodness because if not I feel like I'd drive myself completely crazy), but my nutrition has fallen short way too much here lately. I'm just tired, lacking in the effort department and cheating myself because of it.

How am I going to fix these issues?

Working out isn't the issue anymore. I am so happy that I enjoy being active now because it's my favorite way of providing self-care. Nutrition is where I am struggling and this has always been my biggest issue. The thought of going to a dietician has been an idea I have thrown around over the years, but I've never been in the right headspace to ask for help. That, my friends, has changed. One of my friends and co-workers from college, Jessica Felden, has her masters degree in nutrition and has created an entire program to help women feel super successful and confident in their skin. I have reached out to her and will be working with her starting April 12th to get my nutrition on track. Check out her website, The Body Queen, and see if working with a dietician is right for you! I will talk about this more once we get started, but I am super excited to learn from one of the sweetest and knowledgable women I know!

I am still going to be using Beachbody and being a coach during this time, too. I am going through 9 Week Control Freak: Off the Wall, which requires only weights. No door track. No core ball. Just your body and a variety of weights. I started last week and make time for that 30 minutes before work each day. I may be late to school almost DAILY (if you're on my Snapchat, you know this), but you best believe I get a workout/sweat sesh in most days before trying to teach little humans. You can do anything for 30 minutes a day so feel free to reach out if you have any questions about incorporating these at-home workouts into your schedule!

I love how this company and these programs have shifted my way of thinking and helped me love myself again. It has taught me how to listen to my body's wants and needs better than I was doing before, which is why I knew I needed to take this all a step further. Diving into Ultimate Portion Fix jump started this desire to learn more about what fuels my body and gave me the foundation to build upon; Now I can't wait to learn more about how to better treat myself alongside Jess and hopefully get rid of some more of this fluff over the next eight weeks! 

More updates coming soon! 

xo,

Taylor and Barrett