Evolving Goals and an Update

So sorry I've been MIA. A quick update is I had hernia surgery in early November and was out of commission from working out for about 4 weeks. It was rough and I'm glad it's over. I feel like I'm good as new though and ready to tackle my goals in 2014. I plan to be more present here and pay it forward by spreading motivation and advice (not professional by any means) to anyone who may read this little blog.

So I was thinking about my goals for 2014 and it made me realize how much my goals have changed and evolved since I first started this journey December 26th, 2011. (You can read my first weight loss story here if you haven't read it). When I first started my only goal was to lose 30 lbs. I started running and lost my 30 and then my goals changed and I wanted to lose 50 and run a half marathon. Once I finished that goal, I kind of got lost for a little bit and wasn't sure where to go. I fell into a maintenance routine and just kind of coasted by for a while. I was proud of myself for losing the weight, but I didn't feel like I had much direction. I needed a new goal and something to strive for.

I realized that I had lost the weight, but I still wasn't very toned and I knew I could look better and feel stronger. My sister and I bought a CrossFit Groupon and started going 5 days/week. Once my Groupon ran out, I decided not to keep going to that gym because 1. it was expensive and 2. it was a 20 minute drive from my house. So I started making my own WODs (workout of the day) doing CrossFit style workouts and I was seeing real results and I was feeling very empowered and I knew I was much stronger. Then the stomach pains got excruciating and I ended up in the ER and had hernia surgery the next week. Just to clarify, the hernia was NOT from lifting weights. I had had it for a while and I chose to ignore it hoping it would repair itself. It was an incisional hernia in my c-section incision and had nothing to do with working out. So my workout was sidelined while I recovered and I gained 5 pounds between surgery and Christmas. No bueno! I tried to eat healthy but the holidays got the best of me.

So here it was January 1st, 2014 and I was up 5 pounds and had lost quite a bit of muscle tone. I was so mad at myself. I went back to the gym with a vengeance and I'm down 7.5 pounds officially today and I'm back to lifting the same amount of weight I was before. The difference this time is I'm done counting calories. I am eating clean (no wheat, no sugar, no dairy) and I feel amazing. My sister and I started the Dr. Oz Weight Loss Diet last Friday (you can read about it here) and I'm down 5.5 pounds since then. I was so nervous about it, but I feel so good and I crave vegetables and hummus instead of chips and cookies. I'm planning to follow a modified version of this for the long run (I have to have my cheese every once in a while!). I had given up on ever having a flat stomach but giving up wheat has already taken 2 inches off my waist in just a week! Craziness.

So back to my evolving goals. My goal for this year is NOT to lose weight, although that would be sweet. My goal is to be in the best shape of my life and to FEEL healthy. I believe God only gives us one body and we should treat it kindly. Eating clean might sound like a real drag and like I'm not really experiencing life, but who says life is about food anyway? I will not look back on 2014 next year and say, "I wish I had eaten more donuts and nachos". Nope. I will look back on this year and be proud for reaching my goals and being the best version of myself.

Here are a few of the clean meals I've had recently. I'm hardly suffering. :)

Taco Bowl- brown rice, ground turkey, sauteed peppers and onions and rotel tomatoes

Sauteed veggies over brown rice and tossed with Buffalo sauce

1/2 apple, 1 hard boiled egg and 2 all-natural chicken sausage link (Aldi)