Today We're Getting Real Honest about Fitness & Weight {Real Talk}

How many times have y'all seen a headline like the one above? How many times have you written one yourself? I took a cursory look through my blog [using the Weight tagline] and I personally have around 20 or so posts dealing with my body image and fitness level. Some are recounting HIGHS [Whole30, the Spartan and BODYPUMP] while other posts detail how unhappy I feel in my skin and how much I wish I could change my body.

Honest truth and reason for this post… I'm the heaviest I've EVER been in my life and right now I am trying to figure out how to shed the extra 9 pounds I picked up while gallivanting through Europe and moving to a new state. My discipline was nothing while in Europe [more on that later] and I also struggled with eating healthy while at my parent's home and even here in Tennessee. I'm not happy for multiple reasons; my clothes don't' fit right, I'm out of shape, it's bathing suit season at the lake and I just feel blah.

I know what I need to do to get back to where I was before I left. I, like many people, just wish it was a bit easier. Le Husband and I ate our way through Europe and I can honestly say I only regret four meals/snacks over the entire trip. I drank two Cokes I really didn't need [nor did I enjoy], the pomme frites in Paris/Versailles were a lil over the top and a nutella breakfast muffin was a complete disappointment while in the Milan trains station. Other than those few blahs, everything else we ate was delicious and PART of our journey. We ate and drank what we wanted because we knew food was such an important part of the cultural experience. A bazillion delicious croissants while in France, lots of pasta and pizza in Italy and of course, all the gelato EVERYWHERE. Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset about the delicious food I indulged in, I wouldn't change anything about our trip. We worked out when we could [thank you TRX and cruise gym] and we walked close to 200 miles seeing all the sights. It is what is and I'm okay with they why, just not the what.

Originally I anticipating a quick jump back into healthy eating when we finally made it home. However, our first two nights home were spent eating out with dear friends and the food at each place was amazingly delicious, just not healthy in the least. Le Husband left to visit his family a few days after we arrived home so I figured 'hey, I can just do meals for one, no big deal'.  But then all the texts and calls came pouring in and suddenly I was eating out four days a week for dinner, plus buying meals for lunch because I hadn't been to the store to buy my normal healthy meals. And then of COURSE there was all the celebratory cake and drinks at work.

Home life was not any easier, mostly because I let myself get lazy and just ate what my parent's ate. Not that they eat poorly or unhealthy, they just eat differently than I do now and I know what works for my body and I failed to prep or plan. The same situation has happened down here in Tennessee. Le Husband and I are trying to mold into my aunt and uncle's routine but it's not quite ours so things food wise are still off. We've had delicious cookout meals, fish tacos, and fajitas but all of the meals have been accompanied by a glass of wine, margaritas or extra food stuff we normally never have in the house. I mean how do you say no to homemade peach cobbler after you helped slice the peaches?

But today marks the spark of change. Today I'm documenting my next fitness journey. I've taken measurements, stood on the scale [barf] and began planning my attack. It is not going to be easy, it is not going to be fun and it is not something I'm honestly looking forward to doing. I will start saying no to things I know won't help me reach my goal and start revamping my workout routine. Now that I'm teaching BODYPUMP twice a week [give or take] I need to invest in my strength training so I can lead by example. My first class back from the trip was a huge wake up call and now that I have the tools at my disposal it's time to start taking action.

My new routine will consist of running, strength training, swimming [in a pool or the lake] and of course a lil bit of water skiing, too. If I get my act together I'll document my work outs to share [if that's of any interest to anyone] or just to have for myself. I'm also currently studying for my AFAA license so I think tracking food and workouts will be helpful if I ever want to take the next step in training.

Props to you if you've made it through the whole post, I know it was quite wordy and honestly it a was mostly for me to put out in this public forum for accountability. Hopefully by the fourth of July I'll have some results to share and I'll be feeling better about myself.

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Smile, it's almost Friday. Have a wonderful day, friends! < 3