Day #8 - My 5 Struggles

Weigh in day!  It is a day of hope that teeters on being a great celebration or a possible deflation.  Today was somewhere in between.  I was down to 181.2 and a BMI of 25.98, a total weight loss of 3.6 lbs.  Pretty good for a weeks work, but honestly was hoping for better.  I know, maybe that sounds like I was looking for a miracle.  This got me thinking about the struggles we face.  So here are the 5 struggles I face and how I do my best to overcome them.

1) FOOD -
Inside of me is an 11 year old chubby kids who still buys his jeans in the "HUSKY" section.  That kids loves sweet tea, pizza, and especially Chex Mix.  While the grown up healthier Jeff has grown to enjoy eggplant, cabbage, zucchini and other veggies.  There is a part of me that still has the urge to tear open a bag of party mix and eat it 'til it is gone.

How I deal: For starters, try not to keep it in the house.  Secondly, to make a better choice if I do get the urge.  And at times, I do treat myself to some Bold Party Blend Chex Mix, but I pour an amount in a bowl and try, try, try to not go back to the bag.

2) TIME -
Probably the second biggest hiccup we have to our health and fitness is squeezing out the time to do it.  I have a wife, three kids and a whole heap of responsibilities.  I feel ya on this one...So I schedule my workouts in my to do list.  I tell my family that this is when I am working out and try to manage other activities around it.  Try to establish a set time to do it - early morning, after the kids go to bed, just after work.  If it becomes part of the daily routine, then you and everyone else will work around it.

3) EXERCISE
Simply put, if you don't love it, you won't want to do it.  Find a program that you really enjoy doing.  Don't have one, then I would love to recommend a few.  I tried to doing TurboFire, similar to TurboKick classes.  I felt like a dancing bear and hated it.  I found myself not wanting to do it.  If you hate it, you won't do it.  Find one you LOVE! It makes it easy to do.

4) THE MIRROR
I may struggle the most with the man looking back at me.  I have some convincing of myself to do that I deserve to look and feel better.  Obesity is mentally and emotionally crippling disease.  When you see change it fuels the fire.  When you bust your can and don't see change, you start to question why you are doing it.  You look in the mirror and say "why?"  I have worked hard on my Jack Handy and telling myself that I deserve it.

5) WHY
Losing sight of your WHY is the quickest way to lose motivation.  About 3 years ago, I checked in around 220 lbs, ate whatever I wanted and to use a country song reference treated my body like an old honky tonk - minus the booze, smokes and loose women.  Our youngest was an infant, we had one in school and one about to start school and they needed and deserved a dad who could go play catch in the yard, chase after bicycles, and have the energy to be active with them.  My wife deserved a husband who had energy at the end of the day.  I deserved to be healthy and have a long life..see my kids become adults and live out their lives.  They are my WHY.

MEALS: updated later

EXERCISE: 
Les Mills Combat Kick Start 30 -- my eleven year old son was my workout partner