Ashley's Story: Week 6 - Mojo Rising

I got back from the Land of Fried Chicken late Monday night. I loved seeing my family, but as I'm sure you could tell from my last post, I was a little stressed. Feeling stressed does not equate to doing well with eating or exercising for me. In fact, I gained about nine pounds while I was there. I did come back with something else than those pounds though; I learned some great lessons about myself and food.

1. I felt horrible! I know that it was because of the way I was eating. It was obvious that my poor diet was affecting the way I felt.

2. To my mother, food equals love. It always has. It's one of the reasons that I struggle with my relationship with food now. I watched her try to give my daughter so much junk food just to make her happy. There was lots that I put my foot down on, but when my daughter was in bed, I found myself eating the same things that I had told my mother to not give my daughter. How does that make any sense? If I don't think it's good enough for my child to put in her body, then why is it good enough for me to put in mine?

3. I turn to fast food as a crutch when I feel rushed, but really it's not any faster than making something that's already in my kitchen.

4. I realized that even though I completed a tri last summer, I didn't really try my hardest. I went to my weekly bootcamp and my weekly tri training, but that was it. I didn't change my diet. I didn't work out at home. While I finished my race, I know that I could've done so much better.

When I got back to Cali, I felt like I was ready to try harder, to do better. So, before I went grocery shopping to fill my empty fridge, I sat down and planned out every meal and snack that I was shopping for. Sounds a little OCD, I know, but it's something that Lorri Ann has been suggesting to me for a long time. It took some time to do, so I did it while I watched TV one evening. I made sure I was getting all of my fruits and veggies. I also made sure I was depriving myself of things that I really love, but getting them in smart portions.

It has been worth every minute. This week, it's been so much easier to stay on track. I pick a day out by what we feel like having for dinner and then just follow the plan I've laid out for myself. Instead of grabbing fast food when I'm starving, I can just look at my menu and know for certain that I have the ingredients in my house and ready to go.

I really feel like I'm starting to get my mojo and my motivation back. It feels good!