Before we start…head on over here and read the awesome article that the local news station wrote on me…I’m pretty flattered and hope I put a great face on Mamavation

So last week I talked about motivation to lose weight, and how your primary motivation NEEDS to be that you are doing this for yourself.

I’d like to reiterate that you NEED TO make sure that you are not doing this for any external reasons (like your partner thinks you need to lose weight or you have to do it for work or whatever).

Lecture over.

Now we’ll chat about coping mechanisms in more depth.

Everybody has coping mechanisms. Like Chuck, who uses her pacifier to soothe herself when she’s angry or upset or I won’t let her have a permanent marker.

Mine used to be food.

If I was angry, I would eat.

If I did something “wrong”, I would punish myself and NOT eat.

I was not healthy.

When I removed my coping mechanism at the beginning of Mamavation, I had some pretty big issues trying to find something else to fill it with.

I got really angry with myself for feeling helpless, not figuring out that it was because I did not have my “security blanket” of food to help me sort through my emotions.

So I set off to find a new “blankie” and found it in exercise.

Now when I get mad, I do some situps or circuits or go on a walk.

If I’m sad, I do some yoga (try it, it works!).

If I’m happy, I do some dancing or run around after Chuck.

I think if you’re going to quit anything, be it smoking or soda or using food as a blankie, you have to replace it with a better choice. Be it gum for smoking, or water for soda…until it becomes a habit (which Pete says it does after only 21 days!) it needs to be a conscious decision every time you think about your former “blankie”.

Every time you want to smoke, you chew a piece of gum.

Every time you want a soda, you have a glass of water instead.

Until you don’t think about it anymore.

Just don’t jump off into removing something that soothes you without having something else to replace it with, ok?

Also, cake is not a good “blankie”. JFYI.

As for weight loss this week, I was swollen EVERYWHERE after running my 5k on Saturday (47:15….not too shabby for a first timer!) so I had A GAIN this week

But next week, I’m hoping to post a big loss…..

VLOG TIME!

Oh, and Chuck says hi. She’s not shy or anything.

Big puffy hearts and a THANK YOU to our sponsors, Earth Footwear,  EA SPORTS Active, Orville Redenbacher, and Chefs Requested. I appreciate your support! Thanks to our coaches, Pete Cohen,  Alysa Bajenaru, RD and Tracey Mallett. Thank you so much for supporting Mamavation!!!!!

And thank all of YOU for supporting me!

It’s week 5. (see what I did there, with the picture and week 5? OMG, I hope it’s week 5. Otherwise my joke just fell super flat.)

And just when you think things get easier, life likes to sometimes throw an enormous wrench in the works, trying to halt all semblance of a routine or normality, and you have to struggle to stay on track.

Losing weight is not a losing battle. (unless you count the pounds)

Losing weight and being healthier is a game. It’s replacing bad habits with new ones. It’s finding joy in the little things, like the fact that those shorts over there in the picture don’t fit anymore. It’s making sure that your friends understand that you’re not going out for ice cream with them because you are eating better, and not because you don’t love them anymore.

And I cannot repeat this enough: YOU HAVE TO DO THIS FOR YOU.

You can’t be a healthier you if you’re worried about comparing yourself to other people. You can’t lose weight in a healthy and sustaining way if your partner is saying “That’s it?” when you excitedly tell them you lost 3 pounds this week. (That didn’t happen to me, btw. Just so y’all don’t go yelling at Chef.)

You need to be worried about how YOU feel and how YOU look and whether or not YOU are happy with that number on the scale.

Because when everybody goes to sleep at night, it’s just you in your head. And if you are your own worst critic, then it’s hard to be happy for yourself.

I lost three pounds last week! And the big milestone has been hit…I weighed 239 the day I walked into the hospital to have Chuck 18 months ago, so it’s all gravy from here on out for me.

Also, I was interviewed by the local TV station (an article for their website!) last week for Mamavation….article should be up soon and I’ll update this post with the link and post it on Twitter for those of you interested

This week has been rough though….and I had a different vlog in mind before this morning.

But bear with me….and ignore the bags under my eyes. I was in the hospital until 4am.

Oh, and Chuck says hello.

(That’s a self portrait, btw.)

That’s the stage we’re going through with Chuck right now. Everything is “NO!” and running away, laughing hysterically.

Funny enough, that’s how I’m feeling with Mamavation right now.

I don’t want to work out, and I don’t want to eat right and I just want to lie on the couch and revert back to the “old me”. I want to run away from my obligations and go be fat because it’s easier.

But it’s really not easier for me to be fat.

Before Mamavation, I could barely get up off the floor. I would procrastinate doing just about anything until it reached emergency proportions (i.e. cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry). I wouldn’t go out with my friends. I COULDN’T go out with my friends…because I had nothing but sweats and yoga pants to wear.

I would never have DREAMED of running a 5k, or even attempting to run a 5k.

The excuses took over my life. I have cancer. WAH. I have a small child who rules my world with an iron fist. WAH. I live with my fiancé’s parents and I’m sad about it. WAH.

It was really quite pathetic.

So I made the decision to not make excuses anymore. It doesn’t mean that they don’t pop up now and then, because they do. And it’s still a struggle for me to overcome my excuses and get up off my butt and do what I know I need to do to make myself a healthier and better person.

So my challenge to you this week? Ignore the inner voice that’s prompting you to fall back on old habits. Be it smoking or sodas or candy or what have you…..don’t go back there. It’s dark and scary and you don’t want to be there anymore.

Be the best you that YOU can be! (That’s my mantra for this week!)

Oh, and no big deal, but I lost two pounds last week, and am officially in the 230′s. Which I haven’t been in since I was pregnant with Chuck, who is now 18 months.

So all in all, I’m pretty excited this week….hoping to have an even BIGGER loss for you next week!

ALMOST FORGOT. I am signed up to run my first 5k on May 7th! If everyone could light candles or pray or cross fingers that I don’t embarrass my BFF who agreed to run with me, that would be fantastic.

(although, she agreed to run with me, knowing full well who I am. Embarassment is part of the package deal. I may be the one in the tutu and tiara.)

Big puffy hearts and a THANK YOU to our sponsors, Earth Footwear,  EA SPORTS Active, Orville Redenbacher, and Chefs Requested. I appreciate your support! Thanks to our coaches, Pete Cohen,  Alysa Bajenaru, RD and Tracey Mallett. Thank you so much for supporting Mamavation!!!!!

And thank all of YOU for supporting me!