Sweating Sexy Back: Challenging Myself

Three weeks into my lifestyle makeover and I have to say this week was the hardest.  

For one it was my birthday.  I did the one thing I have tried so hard not to do and that is treat myself with food.  I ate a slice of cake, a giant cupcake and salted pretzel.  Then on Friday, my roommates and I hosted a wine and cheese party.  Again, I indulged.  Saturday included a day long hangover.  I only went to the gym 3 out of 7 days.  The good news is I still lost a pound.

The old Ashley would consider herself a failure and probably give up.  She would give herself a pat on the back for trying and then go to Olive Garden for an endless pasta lunch.  But instead, today I got up and made a plan.  I set my workouts for the week and my meals.  And I reflected on my successes. 

1. I haven't had an ounce of Soda since August 2nd.  That's 23 days! I have more energy and less headaches than I've had in a long time.  I just put my mind to it and I did it.  I don't even crave soda anymore.  

2. Two pairs of my favorite work pants fit again.  I know I have been successfully losing inches as a faster rate than I have been loosing pounds.  

3.  All week I consistently drank at least 80-100 ounces of water a day.  Something I have never done in my life.

I know these things seem small, but I see them as proof that I am changing my lifestyle.  To keep me focused I have been using the My Fitness Pal app to track my calorie intake and output.  It's a great way to keep yourself accountable.  I've also been educating myself.  I've been watching documentaries and reading articles about health.  You'll see me start to implement some of my learnings over the next month or so.  

But, the biggest factor to my continued success is that I am telling people about it.  Knowing that I have support while also being able to support others with healthy living goals has really pushed me to work harder. 

I'm not striving for perfection. 

I'm striving to better than I was yesterday. 

I'm striving to learn patience. 

I'm striving to put my health ahead of my addiction to food and laziness.  

It's a new week, and this week, I'm going to be awesome!

What do you do to keep yourself going during those particularly hard weeks?