Creating a Better Me – Guest Blogger, Angelina

We have received some great feedback on both our podcast and blog to date – and that feedback has included a need for a different ‘demographic’ of guest.  What do I mean by this?  Well, this…

I have recommended many friends to listen to the show and to read our musings and tips of wisdom on The Nudge.  It was the direct feedback from one friend that really hit home – “These success stories are great and all, but I need to hear from someone who is in the thick of it.  Who, in that moment, is sharing what it’s like to fight the fight with food and maybe not win.  Who feels as though they are on track with their goals and has a sudden and unexpected gain.  That’s the $hit I need to hear – I need to know I’m not alone.”

Now, these moments are real and honestly, are experienced by the vast majority of anyone making any change in their lives; however, I see her point.  In telling our ‘success stories’ we sometimes skip over the grunt work, the ‘in the heat of the crap moment’ and focus on the how and the number at the end of the Rice Cake and Treadmill Rainbow.

We listened.

Meet Angelina, our Guest Blogger who will tell the tale as it is – in the moment.  Below, please read a little bit about her and what her plans on as far as approach on mental/emotional, nutrition and fitness!

Thank you for reading and we look forward to sharing in Angelina’s journey with you!

I’m sitting here trying to compose my first message to you and all I keep thinking about is how excited I am to be given the opportunity to share my journey to health with you. If you could see the smile on my face right now you would understand just how excited I am.

It all started over a year ago when I reconnected with an old acquaintance of mine (who now has become a close friend) and we began to chat over facebook once in a while. One day she recommended I listen to the Tips of the Scale Podcast as she was going to be on one of the episodes but overall because it was a budding new podcast with an amazing concept that she loved. I began to listen and I was hooked. One year later now I am being given the opportunity to write my ongoing experiences for the very podcast that has influenced me to change my life. I may be a small fish in an ever growing pond at Tips of the Scale but I am going to use this opportunity to encourage as many people as I can to just get started down a path to a happier, healthier life!

A little bit about my story….

I had a friend growing up and that friend was food. Food was always there and always made me feel better or so I thought. I didn’t even realize I was using food for comfort – actually I was in total denial of this fact until I really sat down and thought about my childhood and all my relationships in general growing up.

I come from a pretty strict Italian household and there were a lot of restrictions in my life but food was not one of them. At the time there were religious factors that came in to play as to why my parents / grandparents were so strict but overall they were just your typical over protective parents who apparently trusted me but did not trust the world to influence or hurt me.

There were many times I was resentful at my family and rightly so – many times I cried as a kid when I missed out of things my friends were doing because of my parents rules. That’s when my friend food would happily join me and for a moment I was comforted and satisfied.

My friend food would come and go and each time the feeling of satisfaction would wear off I was left a little sadder and a little heavier. Not such a good friend after all….

In life relationships grow, develop and change over time and so does everyone’s relationship with food. I now have a clear understanding that food does not and will not ever truly fill a void. Food is a means to fuel your body to accomplish everything you want out of life. Food, as tasty and satisfying as it can be will never replace real healthy relationships.

I’ve come to understand that genetics plays a tiny part in how I look and how my body operates. I also know that my experiences with food as a child will have an influence on me during weak moments. But the fact of the matter is now I know better and as an adult I now get to choose what I want for my life and how I want to do it.

So this brings me to today – well… I’ll be honest with you I wish I would have known what I know now when I was in my early 20’s but I didn’t so I need to embrace all that the future hold for me from this point on.

Now the real question – where am I right now? and what goals do I have planned to ensure my success?

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Nutrition

Past: If it was a carb I ate it. Carbs, carbs carbs. I never really had a real sweet tooth but choosing burgers and fries were a huge contributor to my weight gain. It all started back playing T-ball where if you won the star player you were awarded a free big mac and gallons of that super sweet orange drink. Let’s just say I was REALLY good at T-ball so I was never without my free burger coupons. Rewarding kids with food? Looking back I just have to shake my head at that sort of marketing.

Present: Yes, I have cut out the fast food burgers and fries (3 months strong wahoo!) but I am not seeing any change in my weight so there is clearly something I need to improve on. Yes, I am frustrated and I had very brief thoughts of throwing in the towel the other night but I chose to face it head on instead.  I am taking the next 2 weeks to just OBSERVE my eating habits. This week I am just writing down what I eat, when, how much and at what times. Next week I will do the same but I will include the calories, carbs, protein, fat calculations as well to see if there is a trend.

Immediate Future Goals: Once the two week observation phase is completed I am going to start a regimented food plan. I will calculate the amount of calories I need in a day and fill it with clean, whole foods. That’s when the real work will start and I am sure there will be a lot more to tell you at that point. If I stick to it and the weight begins to fall off – I will share it with you.  If I fall off the wagon I will reassess my action plan and also share that with you.

Fitness

Past: As a kid I was really active – Tennis, Figure Skating, T-ball, Swimming plus being a tomboy I was always playing basketball and whatever else my brother and friends were up to. In my mid-teens money got tight in our house and my brother took a bigger interest in girls so my activities virtually stopped.

Over the last year I decided I wanted to get more active. I slowly started to find things I enjoy doing so I would start to build a regular routine. That’s when I tried crossfit, learning to run, standup paddle boarding, kayaking and Zumba.

Present: What I’ve observed in trying to build more of a routine is that you have to show up for yourself and nobody else. I’ve learned that I physically and mentally feel better when I am active on a regular basis. I also have learned that booking a series of some activity is better than just winging it that way I know what nights are booked and I stick to it. Most importantly I do things that not only challenge me but make me feel good inside. So what’s my schedule like right now?

MON- Zumba & strength training

TUES – Outdoor Sweat Camp

WED – Competitive Volleyball

THURS – Outdoor Sweat Camp

FRI – REST

SAT – Currently left open for random activities – 5k’s, Hikes, Walks or just a full active day out.

SUN – Usually something active done early in the morning – walk, hike or a class like Barre or Yoga.

Immediate Future Goals: I know I need to add an additional 2 days of strength training. I also joined an online challenge a few weeks back where I need to accomplish 10 new fitness related goals by the end of 2014 in order to receive my finisher medal. By the time my next blog comes out my fitness routine will look something like this.

MON- Zumba & strength training

TUES – Outdoor Sweat Camp

WED – Competitive Volleyball & strength training

THURS – Outdoor Sweat Camp

FRI – REST

SAT – Try something new! I know I will need to plan these activities in advance to ensure I stick to it.

SUN – Early morning long power walk & strength training.

Current weight: 314

Waist: Narrow 44” – Bellybutton 49”

Hips: 59”

Chest: 46”

I am ready to share it all with you. I am willing to put myself out there in the hopes that I will get some of you to get off your couches and start living the life you always wanted! It won’t be easy and for a lot of us it won’t be a fast moving process but I can promise you this – it will be worth it! You can find my updates on the Tips of the Scale site every fourth Thursday of the month. Be ready to laugh with me and learn with me as I share my little tidbits to success!

I am really looking forward to hearing from you! You can reach me at creatingabetterme [at] outlook [dot] com Feel free to like my page at www.creatingabetterme.ca or add me on Instagram creatingabetterme_CA