You feel like you’ve tried your best eating, and you’ve done your workout for the day without overworking yourself, and you still feel like a tub of lard afterwards. :(

I’m having one of those unfortunate days.

I ran on the elliptical for 30 minutes today because I did my weight lifting yesterday.

I had a banana, a gulp of silk and peanut butter between two pieces of whole-wheat multigrain bread for breakfast.

I had a subway 6” turkey sub with all of the veggies on the wheat bread and a low fat yogurt for lunch.

And for dinner I had a tuna-fish sandwich from the bakery (it had cheese on it, and I wish it didn’t though. :/) and a strawberry-kiwi smoothie that I made myself with vanilla greek yogurt and fat free milk.

But I still feel awful and for lack of better terms, totally fat. I wish this process was so much faster than it actually is. :( 

For quite some time, I’ve considered getting a phoenix tattoo. I mean, only a few months, not a few years, but I’ve still always wanted one.

My body, at the moment, isn’t perfect. It won’t be for a while. And I don’t mean just physically either. I have some problems that I’m trying to work out with my therapist and everything is a work in progress.

In a month’s time, I will be graduating from college. I will officially be kicked out into the real world and actually have to make some grown-up decisions. I’ll have to find a steady job. I’ll have to figure out how I’m going to pay my car insurance. I’m going to have to figure out a lot of things.

I’m also not going to take no for an answer. I’m not going to let someone tell me I can’t do things. I’m not going to let them tell me that I have the gene that just makes me a heavier girl. I’m not going to let them tell me that I can’t weigh 132 pounds because they don’t think it’ll look good on me.

Guess. What.

I don’t care. I don’t care what anyone thinks anymore. And this isn’t “I don’t care” in the apathetic “I don’t give a shit” way. No. This is the “I don’t care, because it’s not about what you want, it’s about what I want” way. 

I’m finally going to take care of myself. In every way imaginable, because that’s what I should have been doing since day one. Nobody matters in my entire life more than I do. If I can’t love myself in all aspects, and I can’t love what I do … then life isn’t worth living. I have to finally stop putting other people first, and just give a fuck about me for once.

All of that being said, I’m getting a phoenix tattoo. I’m getting it for multiple reasons. To celebrate how much weight I’ve already lost. To celebrate how many steps I’ve already had to take to get me to where I am. To remind myself that no matter what happens, I will embody the beauty that can only come from true struggle. I will be the phoenix that rises again and again from the ashes.

I am strong. I am powerful. I am beautiful. I am an individual. I am an artist. I am a lover. I am a fighter.

In one month’s time, my second (technically my third) tattoo designed by the lovely Hayden Welch will be gracing my figure, from the side of my ribs sweeping across the small of my back. And I can’t fucking wait.

Just try to bring me down, bitches. Give me all you’ve got. 

I am the phoenix. 

Any fitblrs out there that have been clinically diagnosed with depression? 

I’d like to talk to you if I could. I’ve got triggers flying left and right at the moment, and I’d really just like to not be alone at the moment. Not suicidal or anything. Just wanna talk.

Does anyone else seem to have a belly button that appears to be drastically lower than a normal belly button should?

This is something I’ve honestly dealt with my entire life, and I’m just curious … when I start toning my stomach, will my belly button shift to a “normal” position?

I see all of these girls who either currently weigh more than I do, or started out at higher weights than I did, who all seem to have very normal belly button locations, but mine just seems like it’s a few inches away from my friggin’ pelvic bone. Even though I know it’s probably just excess skin. 

Whelp.

If anyone else has the same problem, or has previously experienced the same problem, what did you do? Preeeetty much any one who can at least tell me I’m not some freakishly special person with an obscurely placed belly button will make my day.

Thanks. <3 

Look at her and her beautiful body, complete with bitty-boobs! :D

I’m going to be a firm believer in outdoor play when I have kids. And setting limits on how many hours a day they can be on the computer/playing video games.

I wish my mother had done the same.

So. Listen.

All of my life, I’ve had this huge problem with my body. Not just certain parts of it … just.All of the things.

Normally, in conversation, I bash my own body for having an obnoxious fat roll here, or my boobs are too small, or my arms are all jiggly.

I kinda discovered something tonight though, after hanging out with two of my favorite people.

I love my body. I really do. It’s kinda been a more frequent occurrence, especially this past weekend after looking in the mirror on Saturday morning and saying to myself “Well … Shit, girl. You’re not even wearing a bra, and you’re looking good!”

Working out has made me so much happier with where my body is. Things are still progressing and toning/firming up, which is awesome. Chunk (the most prominent part of my stomach that sticks out that I’ve named) is very slowly disappearing, and I’ve even noticed it’s lifted quite significantly. Which at first was really strange, but then I realized … if it’s lifting, that means I’m toning something right. The fat may not be disappearing at this very moment, but everything else underneath is shifting and moving where it needs to be.

My legs? I love them. They’re curvy, my thighs are getting more slender with each workout - at least, that’s how it seems. My waist is literally shrinking (down an inch and a half since the beginning of the month) and all in all - everything is looking up, and good, and fantastic.

I even got to a certain point today where I looked at myself in the mirror, in one of my bras and said: “Well. Now I seriously feel like I’m overcompensating.”

Wanna know why? I’ll tell you a secret.

I’ve been wearing push-up bras basically since I started wearing underwire bras. Mainly because I was so ashamed of my itty-bitty boobs. See. There’s this thing in my family - a curse we call it, where every woman has a decent set of ta-tas. And I’m not just talking like, C cup. I’m talkin’ double D’s. Somehow though … It skipped a generation. I’m theonly woman on my mother’s side of the family who has really tiny boobs.

Someone actually commented on mine the other day about how “There was just the right amount” and I didn’t have the balls to tell them that most of what they saw was padding.

Now. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for bras that give amazing cleavage. I know I have what it takes (at least) to give me that. I can even get a good cleave-line in a sports bra, if it’s the right one.

I honestly think though, that after I wear these current bras out, and after my ribs shrink to the point where the band doesn’t fit me anymore - I’m going to give up my extreme push-up bras. Because you know what? I’ve actually learned to love my boobs. I want to be able to finally have someone knock into me and actually feel the pain of an elbow to the boob. I want them to shine, in all of their itty, bitty glory, and just say “Oh. Hey guys! Look! I’m tiny and proud!”

They’re tiny. They’re perky. They’re never going to give me problems. I can go without wearing a bra, and 9 times out of 10, people don’t notice. They’re even, finally, starting to look proportionate to my body, which was another big reason as to why I was constantly wearing push-up bras … because my top half didn’t balance out with my bottom half. My gut stuck out farther than my boobs, and for me, it felt so damn embarrassing.

So. Here’s to body acceptance. Here’s to me gradually learning to love all of the things about myself, and embracing everything that makes me, me.

Rock on, Tiny Boobs. Rock on. <3

Just want some people that I can geek out with who have similar goals. Either like or reblog and I’ll follow you!

Just for ya strangers:
5’4”
HW:198 
CW:159 lbs
GW: 132

Forgive me, for my hair is a mess and my makeup is a day old … but I just thought I owed it to my followers to show a picture of myself and how I’m doing. Not to mention show the bikini I got.

I still have a ways to go, but I’m so beyond happy with my progress. <3 

Um. Yes please! <3

I’m trying to tone up my sides, mostly from the middle of my ribs up into my underarms. Anyone know a good workout for that area?

berrymint:

lowcaloriemolly:

mygoalis140:

shoes-anne:

lol, i would neverrrrrrr

LAWLZ no one has to pay her EVER AGAINNNNNN

Pork is red meat now… Ah.

Let me just say this – do no listen to a word this little girl says. She’s full of lies, and unless you want to set yourself up for an eating disorder, please, for the love of god, hear me out.

1. Losing 10 pounds in 10 days is insanely unhealthy! The recommended weight loss is 2 pounds a week. Wanna know why? 3500 calories makes up one pound. Split that over seven days and that’s 500 calories. You’d have to burn an extra 35,000 calories a week in order to lose 10 pounds. There is absolutely no way to do that. Not without forcing your body into “starvation mode” which will only trigger fat storage the next time you eat.
2. Eating healthily isn’t about eating essentially the same thing every day. In order to make sure you’re eating right, you must make sure you vary up your diet! Do not eat oatmeal (or some variant of it) every day. Mix it up with eggs, for breakfast, or yogurt. Balance, variety and moderation, people. That is key to being healthy.
3. Nobody should be eating anything less than 150 grams of carbs a day. You’re supposed to get between 45-65% of your calories a day from carbohydrates. When calculated against a 1200 calorie diet (again, the minimum), it ends up being this: 1200(calories) x .5 (50%) / 4 (calories a gram of carbs) = 150. Your body needs carbs to function! The body needs glucose to fuel our basic needs!
4. I’ve heard of people recommending that you stop eating at no earlier than 8pm. Honestly,from what I’ve read, a calorie is a calorie, no matter what time it is eaten. Granted, I have no sound theory on any of this, but please consider this: how many of us (who go to university full time, work full time, or have families) can honestly come home, and have their final meal at the table and consumed by 6pm? If you try to stop eating at 6pm, you’re only setting yourself up for midnight snacking and unexpected binges. She states that you go without long periods of being hungry, but if you’re waking up at 6am – that’s 12 hours without eating. Please, don’t stop eating any earlier than 8pm.
5. 50 to 100 grams of protein is actually an extremely high protein diet – that’s the actual dietary guideline for a 2000 calorie diet. Which, as we all should know, is not the recommended dietary guide for weight loss. Though I do agree that protein is needed, along with most forms of protein comes fat in some shape or form – so in order to get all of your protein (considering she cuts out starches and dairy), you basically need to eat nothing but fish for ten days. Who honestly wants to smell like low-tide when they work out?
6.  Absolutely do not eat anything less than 1200 calories a day. This is the absolute minimum your body needs a day to survive, without going into starvation mode – on top of that, that’s with minimal working out. If you plan on working yourself to the grave, then by all means, eat 1000 calories a day, but do not eat anything less than 1200 calories if you plan on being fit and healthy.
7. When going out to eat, it’s almost impossible to make sure you’re able to count your calories – please completely ignore her comment on going out to eat – as even a salad can pack up to 2000 calories. Personally, I try to avoid going out to eat when trying to “diet” – but if you’re going out – don’t punish yourself for enjoying a night out. Don’t think about those calories, because sometimes, honestly, raising your calories will actually help you lose weight every now and then – that doesn’t mean go out all the time to change your intake, it just means don’t fret about it when you go out to enjoy yourself.
8.  “Main source of protein must come from nuts, fish or and eggs. Limit meat consumption. Try not to have any servings of meat more than once a day. Fish is a great substitute for other meats because it has more health benefits and it is lower in calories!” – Nuts are calorie dense. One serving is 170 calories. One serving of fish could have as little as 80 calories. Meat is literally muscle. That is the pure source of protein. On her limited calorie diet, you’re essentially eating nothing but nuts all day, and depriving yourself the calories you need for everything else.
9. I have never heard of a metabolic boosting supplements actually working. The only sure-fire way to boost your metabolism? Replace the fat in your body with muscle. Do this through exercising regularly. I’ve heard that green tea, and small doses of caffeine can help temporarily boost metabolism, but long term effects come from muscle. Not supplements.
10. Do not take any supplements to give you energy. If you don’t have enough energy on your own throughout the day to do your workout, then you’re either 1 – not getting enough sleep. 2 – not eating enough. Or 3 – making excuses. Energy supplements will make you crash and burn. Just don’t do it to yourself.
11. “This weight loss plan is designed for successful weight loss with the unlikely chance of experience of gaining it back once finished the plan, because it does not require a consumption of very little calories.” 1 – bad English. We’ll ignore that though. 2 – This plan does require the consumption of too little calories. There is absolutely set up for healthy eating for life. This is not a plan for success, this is a plan for failure. If you follow her plan for these ten days and then continue to follow through on her plan you’ll either continue to lose a rapid amount of weight in the most unhealthy fashion, or you’ll gain the weight back double because you weren’t instructed on how to resume eating healthily. 

All I ask is that you consider these things very carefully before throwing yourself head-first into a diet plan constructed by someone without any accreditation to their name. The things that I have stated above are all pulled from notes I have taken over a period of 3.5 months from a certified nutrition expert. 

I am not saying that I am a nutrition expert. I’m merely saying be very careful about what you read on the internet about fitness. It’s not all good for you.

And - if anyone actually wants to fill any gaps or add a rebuttal to anything I’ve said, please, let me know. I’ll review it and post it ASAP if I find it to be enlightening and beneficial.

Whenever I see someone’s posts about going from 206 to 160, looking like a supermodel and wanting to lose more, I panic.

Only because I’m wondering where I’m going terribly wrong, seeing as I am 160.

And then I remember.

We’re all built differently. Weight comes off differently. We’re different heights. I can’t compare myself to their progress because we are each on our own personal mission with our own bodies.

Inhale. Exhale. Relax.

Everything is going the way it should, I am feeling fitter, tighter, being more active. I am winning my personal battle, day by day, and it’s all okay. Drink water, eat right, exercise - and as I’m slowly proving to myself - it all falls into place.