Saturday, March 31, 2012

Happiness Is Everything.

Oprah changes the world single handedly and people want to know why she can't keep her weight off or why she isn't married to Stedman.

Jennifer Hudson completely transforms her body. People accuse of her of lying about surgery, being anorexic, and taking drugs.

President Obama.....well I won't get into politics....

The point is: YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY!! But you CAN please yourself.

As many of you have read, I received some very hateful comments and while I could respond in a negative fashion, I refuse to allow hate in my life. I am actually thankful for the comments that were posted today because they made me realize something: I don't care what others think because I am so utterly happy with who I AM that people's opinions truly do not matter.

I have found true peace within myself and within my mind. 5-10 years ago, I would have responded differently to a similar situation. I would have beat myself up wondering if what a negative person said was true and eventually come to the conclusion that I, in fact, was a bad person or did something wrong. I would have believed it and that thought would have kept me awake at night. I would have been this way because I didn't have the self love and self confidence that I have now.

When I tell you that this weight loss journey has changed my life in more ways than physical, this is just an example. Today I love myself.

I love me whether or not anybody else loves me because there are a few things I am sure of:
  • I have a God that created me in His image and loves me UNconditionally even if the entire world turned its back on me.
  • I have a purpose in life and everyone has a purpose in life. Negative people and negative things are put into our lives so that we can learn to deal with them in a constructive manner. Some of us learn those lessons, some of us don't.
  • My daughter thinks I'm superwoman.
  • My mother put in blood, sweat, and tears to raise a good, loving, caring, forgiving woman and she did a damn good job.
  • My boyfriend has eyes for one woman whether she weighs 270lbs or 150lbs and thinks she is pretty fantastic and he makes sure to remind her of it daily. She = me.
  • I have 1800+ followers who show me love and support daily and remind me of my purpose here on this earth. There is a reason that I was given the gift of words and the confidence and transparency to share my journey in a way that others would be afraid to do - so that others know that they are not alone.
  • I look in the mirror and I love what I see both inside and out. I'm a good woman, a great mother, spouse, daughter, sister, friend and more. No, this isn't conceit. This is confidence in the person that I am. I wasn't always so proud of who I was. I have skeletons that nobody would be proud of but I have come a long way and if that means shouting to the world that I LOVE ME SOME KRYSTLE BAILEY then hear me shout. Happiness is everything.

With all that being said about ME, I now challenge YOU to go write a list. You don't have to share it with anybody. It can be for your eyes only but grab a pen and paper and write a list of everything that you love about YOU! Write down every contribution you give to the world and the people around you. Write down your favorite features about yourself, both inside and out. Write about how you have overcome certain obstacles and how you have positively influenced others. Write about what you think your purpose here on Earth might be. Write down kind things people have said to you about yourself. Write it ALL!! And if you feel so inclined, share it with somebody! They deserve to know how fantastic you are too!!

Here is the biggest part of the challenge: The next time something negative comes your way that makes you question your character, revisit that list and remember that you are freakin' FABULOUS!!!

Goodnight my faithful friends. You all mean the world to me!!!

xoxo

Nothing a little retail therapy can't fix

If one of my professors offers to rewrite a paper for a better grade or to retake a test for a better average, I rarely take that option. I highly DISLIKE redoing something that I alreaady did. If I clean the house and my toddler comes behind me messing it up, I tend to leave it messed up the 2nd time. I highly DISLIKE redoing something that I already did. It's aggravating, is it not??
I worked for a month to get from -99lbs to -100lbs.

It took me one WEEK to go right back to -99lbs.

I am not beating myself up because I know it's part of the journey. I also know that I ate sushi last night, which can be high in sodium and I also ate lunch out yesterday even though I DID make healthy decisions. Then topped my night off with a handful of jelly beans. Not to mention in the beginning of the week I used all my weeklies on wine. So I knew the gain was happening. I expected it. I didn't cry and mope over it and I let it go as soon as I got off the scale but the twinge of frustration is still there since I worked so hard to reach a milestone for a handful of jelly beans to try to take it away.

I say "try" to take it away because in my mind I have still lost 100lbs, I just had an off week. Not really "off" because I followed the plan 99% of the time. It just wasn't one of my best weeks and I definitely didn't workout like I usually do.

BUT....a new week started at 7:05 this morning when I stepped down from that scale and I am going to bust booty this week.

My friend Nicole and I promised to focus on power foods this week and to choose workouts we haven't done in a while. For me, that is Jillian Michaels. I haven't done any of her workouts in a couple weeks so this week I am promising to get in at least one, if not more, of them 5 days out of the week this week. It's times like this that you need an accountability partner, or several!! If you don't have someone that you can text or call when you have a rough moment on this journey OR a huge celebration, then you are missing out! Go get an AP! (Accountability Partner)

Sooo after I left my meeting I was feeling slightly bummed but I think the rainy day and a few other things going on attributed to that. But if anybody knows me, they know that retail therapy can solve all my problems.....at least for the time being. So I bought a bathing suit, a couple new dresses, and a new sports bra.






A work in progress indeed....in so many aspects of my life!! Working on being the best me that I can be. mentally, physically, and spiritually, but that doesn't come overnight!


Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Forgive Me!!

I know that I have been a horrible blogger lately!! Allow me to explain: 

I am working on changing full time jobs along with working Weight Watchers so in the mean time I have THREE  part-time jobs. I am still in school and trying to not fail this class because I am so behind on my work. I graduate in May and MUST pass! On top of being a mom, a "wife", and remaining on top of my health and fitness. By the end of the day I am so BEAT, blogging is the last thing on my mind!!

But please don't leave!! I promise that as soon as I am done school and through this transition period, I will be back to blogging every day! Until then, I will continue to blog as much as possible.

With that being said, I never mentioned on here that I REACHED MY -100lbs mark!!!! I can't believe I didn't put it on here. This blog is my baby!!!

Celebrating with my fantastic WW leader!! 

Now, I am relaxed. But not relaxed to the point that I am not following plan!! I am just relieved to be at this point. The last 4.8lbs are technicalities in my mind!! I have ARRIVED!! So I am cruising at this point....when the last 4.8 come off, then the last 4.8 come off!! I am going to continue to rock the plan without the STRESS that I had been feeling waiting on that 100lbs!!

Thank you for being on this ride with me!!

Krystle

Monday, March 26, 2012

A very special day!!

Yesterday was FAN-freakin-TASTIC!! I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed myself and enjoyed the people around me yesterday. A couple of months ago, my friend Nicole that I have mentioned here a bazillion times and have been friends with through the Weight Watchers community and FB since the beginning of my journey, contacted me asking what I thought about doing a specialty Weight Watchers meeting in NY for the online community.

Duh. You know my answer.

What a great idea! So she proceeded to ask me to be a guest speaker as well as my friend Daphne (who I have also mentioned on here a bazillion times! LOL!) These two have been my back bone through this journey so to have an opportunity to hug these ladies for the first time when I feel like I have known them a lifetime, was a chance that I would definitely not be passing up!!! And so the meeting came to be:


So yesterday I woke up at 4:30am to catch the bus to NY (long story with why I didn't get on the bus until 7 but anyway...I got there!!!) The girls were already waiting for me and let me tell you....when I popped up in the window of their car, there were so many screams and hugs and "oh my God!"s and "Look at you!!"s. People on the street probably thought we were nuts!!! We were too excited to be together finally!!


They already had planned to go get cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. These little to-die-for cupcakes are only 50 calories each and we decided they were 1 point each.

But they were our dessert after breakfast ;)












I could talk all day about how much I adore these ladies but let me get to the point of the day!!:

This meeting went so well! I definitely feel like lives were changed and people left inspired and motivated. Nicole first spoke and told her story, then Daphne, then myself. All of us having lost 100lbs or more. Our combined weight loss is 317lbs!!

We spoke, we cried, we answered questions, we had conversations, we had a raffle, we had a REALLY REALLY GOOD TIME!!!! 

Some of the highlights:

Nicole telling her story. She keeps it REAL! 

Daphne showing everybody one of her favorite (and one of mine!) Non Scale Victories: Sitting like a LADY!

telling my story :) 

The Charlies Angels of Weight Watchers (That's what Daphne's boo nicknamed us!) 

Nicole raffling off prizes! 

The meeting room. 

My friend Yoav won the pedometer!! Congratulations Yoav! 

Some moments that really touched me:
  • We met the sweetest woman whom I won't disclose her name but we will call her "L". I'm sure if she is reading she knows who she is. L would give her shirt off of her back for a stranger and could find beauty in a leaf on the ground but has a hard time finding beauty and worth in herself. She talked to Daphne and I for a while after the meeting and she really touched my heart. She has an incredible husband who thinks she is beautiful no matter what she looks like but she doesn't see it. She told us prior how she hated taking pictures and she never allowed photos of herself. Well, after talking to her she decided she was going to take a picture with Daphne for her birthday and the three of us agreed that for the next 7 days, she is going to tell herself something GREAT about herself and after those 7 days, she is going to publicly post the photo of her and Daphne. L, if you're reading this, you are a beautiful woman both inside and out and I hope that you continue to practice self affirmations and learn to adore the woman that you are because I'm sure I can speak for Daphne and Nicole as well when I say WE ADORE YOU!!!!! 
  • After telling my story, I spoke with a woman named Jackie who told me how she felt like I was speaking HER own story. I had mentioned things about the emotional scars of being an overweight young girl and she told me how she experienced some of the same situations. It's always inspiring to hear someone come to you and say that they have experience the same exact thing but would never disclose that information to anybody. That is WHY I am so open about my life and my journey. Someone else has always been through the same thing! 
  • A friend Tiny came to the meeting that I have known online through FB and I had seen his posts online prior about working out, going to the gym, and how he lost 105lbs and he is an incredibly fit man. When he walked in the room and I saw that he walked with a cane, I was completely inspired. I think many people would use that or any other disability as an excuse but not Tiny! He is fit and healthy and proud of it!! Thank you Tiny for inspiring me!!
I could go on and on. Let me just sum it up by saying people left that room CHANGED, INSPIRED, and MOTIVATED, including myself!!! Being surrounded by all new people with the same goals as you, going through the same struggles, celebrating the same victories, and along the same journey yet each having their own unique story is just incredible.

I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for coming out and making yesterday GREAT!! And a special THANK YOU to Nicole for making it happen!!! 

Here are some more pictures from the day:

Tiny! 

Nicole gave me this book for reaching -100lbs! And Daphne gave me the scarf that I have on in the 1st pic!

Sad to say goodbye!!! 

Thank you all for reading!! Wishing my girlfriend Daphne a VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!! 41 never looked SO GOOD!!!!!!!

Love yas!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

I am you...and you are me!!

As I always do when I hit a speed bump in this journey, whether it be big or small, first I call my mom then I call or text Daphne and/or Nicole - two women I have shared with you on multiple occasions! Both of these ladies have lost over 100lbs. Both of them are employees of Weight Watchers. Both of them have reached their goal weights. and BOTH of them have STRUGGLED and continue to have moments where they struggle. Both of them have hit many speed bumps and that is the exact reason why when I hit a bump in the road, they are my favorite people to talk to.

The point of this blog is to tell you that this is REAL. Those are the words that come from Daphne's mouth every time I call her. "This is REAL". This is not a reality show. This isn't a fiction book. This is real life. Real people with real jobs, kids, significant others, homes, school, etc....LOSING WEIGHT and getting HEALTHY. We are not contestants on the Biggest Loser with someone telling us when to eat, what to eat, and when and how much exercise to do. We are fitting those things into our own every day lives and competing for one thing: OUR HEALTH.

All of us on this journey, whether we have 15lbs to lose or 100lbs to lose, we all face the same struggles. Just because Daphne, Nicole, myself, and so many others have lost a significant amount of weight, doesn't mean that we don't face the same struggles as those of you just starting out on your journey. Just because we lost weight doesn't mean that our struggles with food have miraculously disappeared. We have just learned to deal with those struggles, faced the battles head on, and learned that even if we lose one battle, we are winning the WAR.

You know the Jennifer Hudson commercial "I am you...and you are me" ? Well picture me in her shoes singing that song to you right now. We are all in this together!! We all have busy lives, we all love food, we all have lessons to learn along this journey, we all have one goal in mind and that is to reach our overall health potential!  You're not in it alone! We need to continue to support one another because that is the ONLY way we will succeed long term.




Daphne and Nicole as well as many others have become my very close friends throughout this journey and I have yet to meet them in person (although I will be on SUNDAY!!). I hold them very near to my heart not because they have lost weight and I want to be like them, although they have both been huge inspirations to me, but because they are real life women doing the same thing I'm doing willing to share their journey to help others. I pray to God that they will both remain my life long friends.

God Bless,
Krystle

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Without the "work" it's an "EASY-OUT!"

I should have typed this blog yesterday but sometimes life just gets in the way! My plate is so full right now and not with food. lol.

Sooo yesterday I did end up with some time to spare and wanted to get in a good workout. What's better to make up for a week off than a good ol' date (or 2) with Shaun T and some INSANITY???

I started Insanity back in January and when my daughter ended up in the hospital, I stopped for a week, then never restarted the schedule and decided to put it on hold. Once my friend Daphne started doing Insanity this week, I decided it was time to at least work it back into my rotation even if I don't follow the schedule (Because I simply SUCK at following schedules and it's as simple as that!).

Anyway, I wanted to see if I had progressed on my FIT TEST despite not following the Insanity schedule but still striving to improve myself. It turns out I DID!

Here are the exercises:

Here are my results - In black is the 1st week back in January and in red are yesterday's results.

SWITCH KICKS: 82 ; 85POWER JACKS: 44 ; 56POWER KNEES: 88 ; 91POWER JUMPS: 32 ; 40GLOBE JUMPS: 9.5 ; 10SUICIDE JUMPS: 12 ; 16PUSH UP JACKS: 20 ; 30LOW PLANK OBLIQUES: 52 ; 57

Just goes to show that my theory on switching it up and not following any specific schedule, WORKS! I am continuously improving myself and my fitness and I just do whatever floats my boat each day. :)

I followed the Fit Test up with Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circut:


and then since I had shared some stability workouts on my page earlier in the day, I decided to give those a try too:


Here is the link for those exercises: Our Top 8 Stability Ball Exercises

THENNNNNN when I was watching Biggest Loser last night, I worked out my biceps, triceps, and shoulders and some ab work with my 10lb dumbbells. I have no idea how many reps I did but it was a lot!!

Man oh man I am SORE!!!!!! It hurts when I go to sit on the potty haha I have to slowwwwllly squat down. My muscles are killing me. But guess what??? That didn't stop me from doing Jillian Michaels Six Week Six Pack today! I tried it on Level 2 and it's WAY more intense than Level 1 but it gave me a serious BURN!! and oh boy do I lovvveeee my muscles BURNING!

On a Weight Watchers note:
  • I worked a meeting tonight and a girl that came in for the first time told me that she was a little starstruck when she saw me, that she was a fan of my FB page, and that I inspired her to join! How awesome is that??!
  • This coming Sunday my good friend Nicole is hosting a Weight Watchers online community meeting in NY and my fabulous friend Daphne that you read about a couple weeks ago and myself will be guest speakers! We are meeting up early for some breakfast together then I am hoping to hang out with some Weight Watchers friends maybe for a Central Park walk after!! Super exciting!!!
  • I really hope I reach my 100 pound goal on Saturday so I can celebrate on Sunday! But not stressing if not!! I have decided the scale is no longer allowed to stress me out!!

Monday, March 19, 2012

A day in the life.

I've been asked all the time what my typical menu looks like or my typical workouts. I don't do anything "typical" unfortunately to answer that question but I thought I'd take you for a day in the life with KJB today. :)
Could not get out of bed this morning. While I was away, my honey took it upon himself to surprise me with a new bedset and a new kushy thingy underneath making the bed OH SO COMFORTABLE!!! I was glued.
That is what I came home to on Saturday :)

Finally rolled out of bed and got in my go-to 1st breakfast. (I typically break my breakfast up into two parts. One when I wake up and one in about an hour depending on my day)
A banana and PB to me is like a cup of morning coffee to some. (1PP)

That holds me over for a while while I feed my daughter and hang out with her doing the morning mommy/baby thing. Sometimes I'll get in a workout during this time frame, again depending on my day. Today I started cleaning early!! I am working on Spring cleaning!


About an hour later I made egg whites with all kinds of veggies. Today was a very veggie kind of day. Egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, WW cheese, and carving board turkey. (4PP)


A while later I couldn't fight the temptation of the Irish Potatoes on my kitchen table so I took 2, counted the 3PPs, and threw the rest out!! They were way too tempting.  

After that I had a little bit of work to do so I took care of that then went back to cleaning. I took this picture as I was throwing them into the giveaway bag because I remember clearly with every pair how excited I was to fit into them at one point and now I am giving them away because they are too big!




Around noon, I decided it was way too nice outside to stay in the house all day so I headed out with the baby for a quick run. It turned into a 3 mile run/walk. I jogged most of the way the first 1.5 miles then on the way back I ran into my friend and her husband and son on the boardwalk so I strolled the rest of the way with them. That was my first time meeting her husband and they are such an awesome family!! 

Got home and made lunch: Veggies again. This time, a veggie wrap with spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, and peppers.

  

served with veggie chips and grapes (6PP total)

Back to cleaning.

Invited my friend over to shop in my closet. She called it "Krystle Russe" as she left with a Charlotte Russe bag full of clothes! Glad they went to a good home!!

Insert pink lady apple.

For dinner, more veggies!! I used the leftover veggies from lunch and sliced some eggplant and made a quick eggplant parmesan for the family. (3PP - super low dinner!)  


After allll that I still had homework to do so I sat down with my homework and a skinny cow ice cream - 2 PP's!


and that's it! Now I'm here typing to you guys lol. Not anything spectacular but this is my life!

I also had a few BLT's in there that I tracked!!! (Bites, Licks, and Tastes!)

Talk to you lovely losers tomorrow!!


Sunday, March 18, 2012

My drug of choice.

Hi, my name is Krystle and I am a food addict.


What do alcoholics do? Cocaine addicts? Heroin addicts? Admit they have a problem, maybe go to rehab, then they have to cut the drug of choice out of their lives completely if they want to stay sober, right? Then they take pride in being sober and completely clean for a certain amount of time but my guess would be that if they started using their drug of choice again, even in moderation, they would fall victim to the addiction.

So what if my drug of choice is food??? I can't go cold turkey on food. I can't cut it out of my life completely. I need it to survive!

95% of my life I am full of energy and positivity. This week has been that other 5%, specifically the last 2 days. I realized that no matter how much I change my ways and habits, no matter how much I choose to eat healthy and track my food, deep down I am still a fat girl. I still have deep rooted issues when it comes to food. There are times when I can NOT control myself no matter how much I try.

That bothers the living hell out of me.

While I have no problem being a Weight Watcher for life, and working for them will make sure that I stay focused and at my goal, it sometimes bothers me that those were the cards I was dealt and that weight and food issues is something I will always have to struggle to maintain and consciously think about. I'll never be one of those people who can just eat and know that they will make the right choices in order to not gain weight. I'll never be one of those people that when I'm sad or going through a bad time, someone asks me if I ate today. That will never be me. I'll forever and always be someone who has to write down what I eat, consciously think about what is going into my mouth, consciously think about exercising, and keep an eye on the scale otherwise I will way too easily be that 250+ pound woman again and that is not where I want to be.



NOW.....while it bothers me on one hand....that is the hand I was dealt and since I live my life positively, I have to just play the hand and play it well.

Like any addiction, the first step is admitting I have a problem. I'm here to tell you that I have ISSUES! I seriously have a love/hate relationship with food but I am working my behind off to change that relationship. After a year and a half on program and almost 100lbs later, I still have REALLY REALLY HARD DAYS/WEEKS!!

This motivates me as much as it motivates others.
I don't have any philosophical answer to this problem of mine other than thank the Lord for Weight Watchers. I am okay with being a Weight Watcher for life. I'm okay with the hand that I was dealt. I'm okay with it because, like I said in a previous blog, this is MY LIFE. I was put here for a reason, to accomplish certain goals, and to inspire and motivate others and I hope that by me sharing my rough times - because this week has been pretty crappy for me - that the people who are inspired my good days, still stick around on my bad days.

With all that being said, I went and checked my weight at WW today after having a bad week and gained 0.6, which considering the week I had is not that bad!!! Today, I am back on track. I can't promise a huge workout because my back is killing me but I am tracking and I am focused. I don't want to continue to have to share rough days with you. I want to bring good news to you all!!

Stick around. Positivity to come!!! :)

I wear this prayer on a bracelet daily.
Love ya'll!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Getting Started Tips. KJB & Spark People.

Hey Hey! I was asked by a FB follower about tips on how to get started with losing weight and since I figured many people probably had the same question, it would be a perfect blog topic. I actually JUST clicked on a link called 7 Things That Separate Weight Loss Winners & Losers but decided that before I read it, I'm going to give my own advice first!!

KJB TIPS:
  • Come up with a weight loss plan and be realistic about it! If your plan includes only eating broccoli and grilled chicken every single day then it's probably not going to last very long. When you are coming up with your plan, make sure it is something that you can do FOR LIFE. For me, that is Weight Watchers, but it could be something else for you. Just think it through before you jump right in. 
  • Scratch the word DIE-IT from your vocabulary. You're making a lifestyle change. 
  • Start with short-term goals - dropping a jean size, getting active, losing 5lbs. A bunch of small goals add up to equal the large goal. 
  • Increase your water intake tremendously!!! Flush all the toxins out of your body. 
  • Get active but find something that you enjoy. If you hate the treadmill, you don't HAVE to workout on the treadmill! Try something new such as Zumba or a class at the gym. If you can't afford a gym membership, buy a new workout DVD but just make it something that you enjoy, not something you will dread tomorrow. 
  • Surround yourself with like-minded people! "If your friends don't have the same goals as you - get new friends!" 
  • Remember that you are WORTH IT. It's not going to always be easy. It's not always going to be enjoyable. It will most definitely take hard work, time, energy, effort, and dedication. But I can promise you that the results are worth your efforts!! 


Okay...now let me go read this article.....be right back! 

 

 Turns out I might know what I'm talking about just a little haha! Here are the tips from Spark People:

  1. Set small goals. 
  2. Take breaks and timeouts - don't set yourself up for failure by now allowing yourself a slice of cake on occasion or a day off from the gym. We all burn out if overworked! 
  3. Be proud of yourself!! (This one is HUGE!) - tell people your goals! It holds you accountable. Take pride in the things you have accomplished and make sure to share those successes with your friends. 
  4. Take on new challenges - try new workouts, new meal ideas, and so on. 
  5. Be part of a team - take advantage of the ever growing social worlds around you both online and face to face. Being part of a team with like-minded individuals helps keep you focused. (Just a quick example of this: I was having an out of control moment, I quickly texted my sister in law and my good friend Daphne and they both put me in check immediately)
  6. Keep Score  - but not just by the numbers on the scale. Track your progress with everything including inches, miles, workout time, water intake, whatever it is - strive to be better! 
  7. Make it fun! 

 On a Krystle Note:

I went shopping today for some Spring clothes and had a few NSV's! I shopped in the Juniors section unknowingly AND I shopped in Charlotte Russe (A store I used to pass by because I knew I wouldn't fit even in their largest size!) !! And I bought a size 6 and size Small tops! A couple dressing room shots:

Size 6 shorts from C.R.!
Little Spring dress. :) 

Gooooooodnight!!! Long day tomorrow then I'm heading out of town for a couple days early Thursday morning on a little business trip. :)

<3
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