The Recipe for Success Never Changes.

This has been one of those weeks where I am forced to remember that what got me to the place I'm at now (losing 153lbs) hasn't been luck; it has been sheer determination, hardwork & perserverance and I would be a fool to think that it will take anything less to finish out this journey.

For the past 2 weeks I've been really trying to kick it into high gear both nutritionally & in my fitness- so much so that I've been drinking one of these babies for breakfast & dinner every day:

Looks appetizing, eh? This yummy concauction was made with: Vanilla Bean Lean Shake Powder (GNC), strawberries, spinach (hence the green color), water & ice. Luckily it wasn't until the last couple days that I realized adding a tablespoon of peanut butter makes these smoothies about 500x's more delicious (but also adds calories & fat).

So combining eating about 1200-1300 calories a day with exercising 5x's per week at a relatively high intenstity, you would think would equal a loss. Well, it didn't. In fact, yesterday morning the scale read 200. A number I would have been fine to never see again. I know I will continue to lose and that 200lbs will be a distant dream soon enough but I just didn't feel like the effort I was putting in showed up with the results I saw.

So what to do? What to do when you're eating crap you really don't even like, saying no to chocolate and late night snacks, and you feel like your hardwork isn't being rewarded? You just. keep. pushing. Here's a picture of me doing just that:

As I've mentioned before, I'm training for a 5K using the C25K program and for whatever reason there are days that I feel like a gazelle and that I could have gone farther, longer & then there are days when I feel like I want to just lay down on the treadmill & cry. Yesterday was one of those days; in fact, before I even got to the gym it was one of those days! I was TIRED, not feeling so great but I did what I knew I should and know has brought me the success I've seen thus far, I drug my butt to the gym and completed Week 2, Day 2 (for about the 3rd time now haha) and tomorrow morning I'll do the same thing (after a spin class this evening).

I'm choosing to operate from this principle: I know that anything that is truly worth having, is worth working your butt off for and I will push, push, push until I get where I want to be. Yes, the future isn't as clear as I'd like it to be and I don't know what next week's weigh in will be or the week after that, but I do know what I have control over and that's ME.

Sidenote: I'm excited that I've finally got back to what seems to be a regular blogging schedule; once a week on Fridays. I really do love blogging and think it has value to me, my journey, and hopefully to you all as well. Just a random thought!

Also, I also feel like I have about 10 million topics that I'm dying to write/share about with you all and I hope that you'll find them helpful/interesting as well as I'll be tackling them here in the upcoming weeks- just to give you an idea and tickle your bloggy tastebuds, some of these topics include:

• The negative side effects of weight loss (yep, they exist).
• My new relationship & how that ties in with weight loss.
• Skin Removal Surgery
• And more!

I leave with you this little piece of inspiration I saw yesterday on Pinterest...

It's. Been. Done.

After 30 months of:

• Dragging myself to the gym when I felt like I didn't belong and would rather do just about anything else.
• Saying no to the things that had become dependencies & almost addictions (aka: caramel frappuccinos).
• Counting calories day in and day out.
• Eating what seemed to be the same thing day in and day out.
• Completely restructuring the way I think about myself and what it is to truly be good to myself.
• Fighting through feeling deprived or an "it's not fair attitude."
• Convincing myself that anything is actually possible and that I wasn't bound to a life of obesity.
• Saying no to french fries, pizza, and cookies being a part of my regular diet (I still have them every once in a while- as a TREAT not a regular staple!)
• Having to be the only person not participating in indulging in all sorts of desserts and fried foods at what seems to be weekly office parties.
• Waking up at 6:45am on Saturday mornings for spin class when all I really want to do is sleep in.

After, no BECAUSE, of all of this, after weighing in 30 months ago at 352lbs, yesterday I stepped on the scale and saw this...

And I swear I thought I was gonna break my scale from jumping up and down on it! No joke- I seriously I just could not stop jumping up and down in my living room shouting "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" and pumping my fist/arms every which way; truthfully I was even a bit surprised at my reaction, I was certainly happy when I lost 100lbs, but this was something different..I simply could not contain the overwhelming feeling of victory & joy it gave me.


I know that for most people weighing 199lbs is no big accomplishment (in fact, it would be a nightmare to most), but for me- it was something I truly was never sure I'd see. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time there was a #1 in front of my weight...if I had to guess I would say maybe it was when I was...15 years old? Sometimes throughout this journey it felt like weighing in the 100's was just a pipe dream, as if it were possible for everyone else, but just not for me- I knew that maybe I'd get to the low 200's, but the 100's? It almost just didn't even seem like an option. And now, it's MY REALITY. And it's. been. done.

Since the very beginning of this journey I've really only had 3 weightloss goals and as of yesterday, I've accomplished 2 of the 3:

Goal #1: Lose 100lbs (Completed!)
Goal #2: Get out of the 200's (Completed!)
Goal #3: Weigh 180lbs (Not yet Completed...)

How I approach this 3rd goal will be a little different than how I've approached the last two. When I first began I knew that I couldn't rush this process- that I had a lot of weight to lose and that there wasn't going to be a quick fix to the mess I had gotten myself in and it was with that mindset that I approached and accomplished my first 2 goals; however, with this 3rd one I have a different strategy...

I don't want to drag the final part of this journey out. I have 19lbs to go and I know that I can lose it because I've already lost 153lbs but I know that I am easily tempted to not really give my all, my very best and that when I do that it consequently takes me much longer to lose weight than it really needs to. I'm still not looking for a "quick fix" but I'm also not looking to take this last 19lbs leisurely- I want to knock it out; specificially by May 19th which is the date of a wedding I am a bridesmaid in. Basically that means I have a little over 2 months to lose the 19lbs pounds and it equals out to about 2lbs a week (give or take a bit) which I think is still a completely realistic amount of weight to be losing at my current size. I really believe that finishing this journey will look like one of two things:

1) It taking me 6 months to lose the last 19lbs.
2) It taking me 2 months to lose the last 19lbs.

And the difference won't be because my body just won't drop the weight, the difference will be in whether I am giving it my very best or whether I'm just going at it laxadisically. And I am choosing to give it my very best and if for some reason that still doesn't equate to weighing 180lbs on May 19th then I'm okay with that, because I will have done everything I can do.

There are so many exciting things God has in store for me this year, some I know about and I'm sure there are even more that I don't and truthfully, I just want to be done with this. I know that I'll never be finished exercising or eating healthy, but I'm ready to be at the maintenance phase and I'm ready to enjoy living my life with my body at it's very best that it can be.

I am by no means saying that 180lbs is my ultimate weight, but I would guess that it would be somewhere around there; being that I have a larger frame and I am almost 5'10'', it's not that far off from what the "charts" say I should weigh (which is between 153-173lbs) and I'll re-evaluate when I get there but my goal isn't to be the absolute skinniest I can be, it's to be and look healthy & fit.

I know I've rambled a bit here at the end but needless to say I am SO excited, proud, and thankful to God for where I stand today...all 199lbs! And now, moving forward to prove to myself that I can do even more things I never thought possible...

Happy Friday :)

Checking In! Progress Pics & More :)

Well hellllo!

Wow- it has been a loooonnnnng time since I last posted. Although I miss blogging and reading blogs dearly, I've come to accept that it's just not something that fits regularly into my life right now but I don't want to shut this blog down completely so I plan to try and post at least monthly- I understand by doing this I'm not necessarily providing a sense of support to the blogging/weight loss community like I was in the past, so this blog will basically just exist as a way for me to keep record of what has happened & continues to happen and if anyone else benefits from reading, then great :)

Life over the past couple months has been pretty amazing- lots of changes for sure. Let's see...some of the more monumental occurences have been:

Visiting Israel: For two weeks in November a group of friends and I from church traveled all around the nation of Israel- what an absolutely incredible experience it was. Here's a pic of me in front of Jerusalem.

Visiting Home for XMas: All of my family lives on the west coast while I live in the east coast; I only get to go home to see them once a year (at xmas) and two xmas' ago when I went home I had lost 70lbs and that was quite the shock for them- this year when I went home I wanted to have lost another 70lbs (which I did!) for a total of 140lbs lost and they were easily twice as shocked as last year. Truthfully, this was a really healing & redemptive time for me. Many of the people in my life today never knew me at 352lbs- sure they see that I'm continuing to lose weight but they don't know who I was back then and truthfully how I've been literally my entire life up until the past 2 years. My family  has always been nothing but loving and supportive of me in every way- they never once said anything about my obesity (although perhaps they should have) but I always knew that silently, it worried them and they wanted better for me so it was just SO nice to be able to give that gift to my family members this season. I also felt like them seeing me healthy and happy was just one final way of really showing them that I'm an adult now & that I have my own life and that I'm doing okay. Although at first I could tell they weren't sure if I wanted them to make a fuss over it or not, eventually they learned that it didn't bother me and expressed how amazed and proud of me they were. It was definitely a healing trip. Below is a pic of me and 2 of my cousins on my last night there.

Falling In Love: Yep, it's true. It happened. For the past couple months I have been dating an absolutely amazing man of God. He is the kindest man I know and I am blessed to be able to love him and be loved by him :) And because this is a weight loss blog I will mention that we've known eachother for about 2 years now so he's seen me at all sorts of different weights- I'm sure I'll post more about this subject at a later date.

                                         

                                               

And now onto what I'm sure you're all most curious about (and kinda the point of this blog)...weightloss! Given that I haven't posted in almost 4 months I'm sure some of you were worried that I had fallen off the proverbial "wagon" and gained back half of what I'd lost- well, not hardly! Since my last post I'm down another 20lbs and at my lowest weight of...well since I can remember lol of 204lbs for a total current loss of 148lbs!!! I promise not to toot my own horn for the rest of this post but just give me a minute....TOOT TOOT!!! Alright, so that I can move on with my life, here are my next set of progress pics (going from my first pic taken at 333lbs, the pic I took right before this one at 224lbs, and then my current pic at 204lbs).



224 lbs.

204 lbs.

224 lbs

204lbs

224lbs

204lbs

So now that I feel like I've caught ya'll up on everything, I guess I'll share where I'm currently at with everything and where I want to go (in my favorite bulleted style of course!) Recently I've been getting a lot of emails from readers who are either just wanting to make sure I'm still alive or are looking for advice- and as unfortunate as it may be, I really don't have time to respond to each one although I'd love to, so I thought I'd just share in this post what I'm currently doing to continue losing weight and hope that it answers some questions. Thx for being understanding!

• Right now I really don't know what my final goal is but it's currently set at 180lbs so I have another 24lbs to go; however, I have a mini-goal before that of getting into the 100's by the end of February. I honestly cannot even fathom my weight having a number 1 in front of it...and the fact that I'm only 5lbs away from that is just insanely amazing. My goal is to be at 180lbs by the end of April- a lofty goal, I know, which is why I'm currently living at my best potential ever.
• Exercise: Right now I'm still exercising 5x's per week (but let's be honest, sometimes it's 4xs). I do a 60 minute spin class at least twice a week, 20 minute interval strength training circuit 3 times per week, and I run 3x's per week as I'm training for my first 5k later this year! What what! This is by no means the most hardcore exercise routine but it is the absolute most that I can do with working almost 2 full time jobs, having a boyfriend, and just living life; which means I've gotta be hardcore with my nutrition.
• Nutrition: I still am adhering to the principle that no food is completely off limits but I do live within a strict calorie budget of 1200-1300 calories per day. I still use the MyFitnessPal App to track my caloric intake (it's amazing). I still do all my food prep on Sundays for the week and while I don't eat completely clean or preservative free, I limit my calories and that's what works for me.
• This is a really unique season of this journey for me. I don't feel like I'm in 911 mode anymore where it's evident that my life is in danger because I could have a heart attack any second or get diabetes, like I said earlier- I really don't remember being this "small" so it's been hard for me not to become complacent with where I am. One of the huge things that is keeping me going and really not settling for less than my best is visualization. I frequently visualize both the things that I don't ever want to go back to (not being able to ride roller coasters or fit in certain seats) as well as the things that I still can't do but deserve to and want to (wear cute dresses, swimsuits, and sleeveless tops). I'm now at the point where every pound lost is uncharted territory and while it's a bit harder to believe that I can ever really be just normal, I am refusing to quit until I find out.

I hope you all have enjoyed the update- I've certainly enjoyed sharing. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to share more frequently than I think- I know I would definitely love to see how some of my favorite bloggy buddies are doing these days! My parting words are these: Stay strong- you DESERVE to be happy with who you are on every level- YOU are the only one who can and is gonna get this done and when it's all said and done you will be one thing you haven't been of yourself in a long time- PROUD.

Peace out ya'll!

Progress Pics: 130lbs Down Yo!

Happy Saturday All!

And what a happy one it is as I'm excited to be sharing my 6th installment of progress pictures today! I've officially lost 130lbs and since I'm posting progress pics every 20lbs down, it's that time again! Unfortunately I don't see quite as big of a difference between these pics from the ones 20lbs ago but I feel it and I guess that's all that matters. Because it would take too long to post all the pics I'm just gonna post my first ones (taken at 333lbs), my previous progress pic (taken at 244lbs) and this one. So without further adieu...

(haha, clearly I didn't have anyone there to take the pic so you'll have to excuse my attempt to fit in the pic!!)

There you have it folks- I'm trucking right along fighting the good fight every step of the way. My brain is a little too scattered right now to compose a coherent post but I promise to check back in later this week with some thoughts for ya.

(PS- MELISSA- why can't I comment on your blog my dear???? I've been trying but it won't allow me :(

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Time to FIGHT!

Hello friends!

The last two months have been a whirlwind- between being in DC for 2 weeks for work & then trying to catch up with everything at home from being away- I'm just finally getting to the place where I have a grip on life again!

Life is good but it's felt a little bit like a roller coaster lately and while I haven't gained any weight because of it, I know that I wasn't doing my best for a couple weeks. Right now I'm weighing in at 225lbs, for a total loss of 127lbs since beginning this journey 1 1/2 years ago at 352lbs! As I've shared before I have felt a little directionless since meeting my 100lb goal since I really don't know how much weight I'm trying to lose in total, and the directionlessness has unfortunately shown in the mediocrity with which I've been moving along on this journey.

Well friends, I have found myself a new goal & have since gained direction once again and I'm excited to share it with ya'll today! I want to be under 200lbs by the end of the year- meaning I have approx 12 weeks to lose 25lbs! Looking back at my progress in the last couple months I've been averaging a loss of about 1.5lbs per week, which isn't shabby but I know I can do better because I'm not doing my best to even get the 1.5lb loss. Consistantly losing 2lbs per week is not going to be easy and it's going to take me truly getting back to a place of discipline and sacrifice- something I've wandered from recently & am ready to fight for.

Now, I don't believe I've lost 25lbs in a 3 month period since the beginning of this journey but I'm going to fight tooth & nail for what I want and what I deserve- AND I DESERVE TO BE UNDER 200LBS!

How am I going to do it? The same way I've lost this 127lbs:
- Tracking everything I eat through the My Fitness Pal App.
- Staying within my 1500 calorie budget every day.
- Do 1 hour of Cardio (usually spin) 4x's per week.
- Do HIIT strength training 3x's per week under the supervision of my trainer JZ.

Simple Plan. But one that requires dedication & sacrifice- particularly through this Holiday season.

Anyone with me in finishing out 2011 STRONGER THAN EVER?

p.s. I'm only 1lb away from my next set of progress pictures so fingers crossed that I'll be sharing them in next week's post! But until then, here's a sneak peek!

This was me at the beginning of my journey 12/09           And then me 2 weeks ago in DC!

What I Eat: I'm Not Afraid!

I am definitely a big believer that weightloss is 15% exercise and 85% nutrition- and it has been living by that principle that has helped me lose 121lbs to date (today's weigh in had me at 2lbs down!)

 However, one of the most daunting tasks that has plagued me ever since I started this journey over a year and half ago was the fact that I really don't know how to cook that many meals (especially not nurtitious ones!) nor do I really care to know how- and although I've had to put my big girl pants on and learn how to cook veggies and implement new recipes, I can say that it is possible to lose weight, eat in a healthy way, and not turn into a wannabe-gourmet chef. Please hear me, if clean eating/cooking is your passion and you wouldn't dare consider eating a frozen dinner, MORE POWER TO YOU- but, that's not me and although I knew I would have to step outside of my comfort zone so that my diet didn't consist of all things white, fried, and buttery, I'm losing weight by eating in a way that is nutritious, yet realistic for MY lifestyle which (SHOCKER) often includes eating:

- Healthy Choice Meals
- Drinking Diet Soda
- Putting Creamer in my Coffee
- Enjoying SmartOnes Desserts

Maybe it's silly but for awhile I've been ashamed to admit that I still make those choices a regular part of my diet- as if I ever ate something with preservatives in it the weight would just never leave. I knew from the beginning that what I ate was going to have to change in a MAJOR way (and it HAS!) but I continue to choose my battles according to my priorities and I know that for me, monitoring my daily calorie/carb/fat intake is just what's most important in this journey right now. Ahhh- maybe no one else struggles with having no desire to cook or kick all things preserved/frozen out of their lives and feels guilty about it- but I just needed to get that off my chest and encourage anyone that feels overwhelmed by cooking and what seems to feel like an obligation to become an organic/clean eating/vegan chef/eater that IT'S OKAY, you can still lose weight if you monitor your calories/carbs/fat, keep a strict food journal, and are honest with yourself.

Ok, venting sesh over :)

And because I can be cooking challenged, one of the reasons I enjoy reading blogs is to get healthy meal ideas from other bloggers- I love seeing what you're eating and creating- so I figured I would share what my eats have been this week (yes, I pretty much eat the same thing everyday, for one week- it's what works for me!)- and you've already been warned that none of it is very culinarily impressive :) 

Dinner one night was this yummy salad! (Consisting of: romaine, spring mix, Trader Joe's reduced fat shaved parmesan, slivered almonds, and TJ's cranberry garganzola dressing (LUV!)

Lunch for this week was a new recipe I tried (pat on the back for me!); chicken fried rice! It consisted of: minute brown rice, egg whites, white meat from a rotisserie chicken, 1 bag of mixed veggie steamers, lots of garlic and garlic powder, and lite sodium soy sauce. 280 calories for a 1 1/4 cup serving! Here's an up close shot:

Nothing super fancy, but I was definitely impressed with myself and it was YUMMY. Next time I plan on trying to make a Vietnamese version with Jasmine rice and coconut milk.

This was one of my snacks this week (I usually eat 2 per day); Trader Joes pretzel slims (23 for 110 calories), with a serving of TJ's garlic hummus. Yum!

My dinner from last night: Lean Cuisine 4 cheese frozen pizza (with some mushrooms I added) and a diet Arizona green tea. 

I've just gotta keep it simple. Right now I'm staying within a 1500 calorie budget and plan to move it down to 1400 by the end of September. So, what about you guys- have any of you struggled with not caring to learn to cook or just not having the experience? Are frozen meals still a part of your diet? Psst- there's no shame if you have totally kicked them out either! 



Alright- that's all for me today! Hope everyone is kicking butt! Oh- and if you haven't gotten a chance to check out my Israel Blog Site- please do! Especially because the rest of the MULA is due today and I still have a wayyyyyyys to go! :) You can visit it at: www.youcansend.me/tiffanyhendrix

Peace out ya'll!



Beating Temptation & Israel!

Happy Friday Friends!

This week my mind has been on food. Since beginning this journey over 1.5 years ago I haven't ever really had killer cravings that I just couldn't handle (lucky, right?) and although I know there will never be any craving that comes my way that I can't handle (1 Corinthians 10:13), I certainly have had my share of close calls this week. We all know that just because we made 1 decision one day that we'd like to lose weight and become healthy that doesn't mean that suddenly our tastebuds for all things salty, sweet, and creamy go away- the 1 decision to lose weight is really just 1 of a million and is probably the easiest one you'll ever get to make on this journey.

The hard part comes when everyone else in the office is eating pound cake, ordering Chinese take out, and chowing down on fried chicken (yes, all 3 have happened at my work in just the last 2 weeks!) or when you've been "doing SO good" and just feel like rewarding yourself with a candy bar or fat/sugar filled fancy coffee drink (can you tell I'm speaking from experience here???) and it is THOSE small decisions that really is where the victory is lost or won.

SO- how do I handle what sometimes feels like cravings that are just impossible to say no to? (BTW- by cravings I'm referring to something that is not something you've PLANNED to eat and will not help you get toward your goal and live in freedom):

1) The battle here really isn't stomach vs. mind...it's really just all in our minds so that's where all of the "work" that I have to do in these situations takes place. I first ask myself a few different questions: 
- If you give into this craving, who will be in control? The food or you?
- Why are you trying to put the imprisoning handcuffs of being addicted to food back on when they did nothing but harm you before?

2) I'll remind myself of my goals (therefore it's obviously important to first have clearly defined goals!) and decide which I would rather have...that reese's peanut butter cup or the satisfaction of getting into ONEderland at the end of the year?

3) I play pretend! I know this one might seem a little strange or weird but I can't tell you how many times it's saved me from chowing down on some nachos: I pretend that I'm a contestant on the Biggest Loser and then ask msyelf what I would think of myself if I was sneaking nachos while I was on the show? I remember when Rulon was chowing down on tortilla chips last seaons and I remember thinking, "What is he doing? Doesn't he know that doing that is just going to get him right back where he started from? What is his problem?" and yet I don't think it's that big of a deal if I were to sneak some stuff I knew wasn't good for me. Just because I'm not on the biggest loser doesn't mean I'm not big enough to be or that my situation is any less serious than theirs- and even though America isn't watching me, my friends, family, and co-workers are and they need someone to inspire them and show them that they can do it to. I'm in the same boat and I need to act accordingly.

Hopefully some of my little tricks will be helpful to some of you the next time you feel like you are being hard pressed to make any form of healthy decision. However, when all else fails (even my questions, mantras, and playing pretend), I can rely on the word of God that NEVER FAILS : "No temptation has come to you that is not common to the human race; and God is faithful- He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear- but when you are tempted He will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under the temptation." 1 Cor 10:13. Sometimes it is just comforting for me to remember that even though something may seem inevitable or unbearable, it's not- I can have control.

Also, because as I mentioned in my last post I've been on a kick of comparing pics from this years events to last year's, I thought I'd share another set; the pics below are of me from an event we do every year called Hope 4 the 'Burgh where we provide back to school items and health screening services to needy families in our community:

I'm guessing you can tell the one of me in the red is from last August and the one of me in green is from just a week or two ago. I can look at pics like this and remind myself of why making the right choices in all of the tempting situations truly is worth it.

As I head out, I did want to share about a new adventure coming up in my life- in 3 months I will be traveling with a few friends from my church to the nation of Israel. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am about this opportunity- if any of you would be interested in learning more about the trip, why I'm going, or be intersted in helping me raise the remaining $1500 I need by next week to get there you can do it at my Israel blog site. Any help or prayers would be greatly appreciated :)