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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Being that 1%

As much as it pains me to say it, being healthy is not popular. 
Quick fixes and that "fad" diet, yeah that's pretty popular and trending but the good 'ol fashioned exercise and healthy eating is NOT.  
To do it the right way and to feel good, we must do what others won't and unfortunately that can be intimidating to us all.  It definitely was for me for a very long time.  

That 1% was lonely at times.  It was tough to break away and do the RIGHT thing for my body and its needs.  I had many times where I felt isolated but this was all in my mind- I did it to myself because I wanted pity for "having to be healthy"...so I'd set myself up for a disaster as soon as my motivation would leave my "in the moment" superficial goals and it was almost always for the wrong reasons-all about my image.  I was tired of being "fat" so I wanted to starve myself for "skinny" but that thankfully only lasted a day or two and then it was back to my overeating ways...so I felt isolated because I struggled alone with my weight and unhealthy habits over and over again!  These days I LOVE standing out for making healthy choices and for choosing to put exercise as a priority in my life and the lives of my family members!  Nothing feels better than that.  It feels GOOD.  

Being in the 1% has its moments of doubt and frustrations but it also has the moments that I had NEVER felt until I became part of this crowd!  Sadly for over 20 years I never felt good.  Of course I had great moments in life, wonderful memories with fabulous family and friends but I still felt trapped in a mindset that I created.  I believed "fat people eat, skinny people starve"...simple as that.  It was all I knew and from the yo-yo diets I had experienced it was the way that it was.  If I wanted to be "skinny" (while it should have been about being HEALTHY), I had to starve and if I preferred to stay "fat", I'd just do what I do best...EAT. So while I ate, I carried this chip on my shoulder that others lived a life I would never experience because I was fat- ya know, as if it were an illness.  I'd accept it because it was what 99% of the crowd was doing...I was fitting in.  Never mind the fact that my cholesterol was high, I had gallstones from unhealthy habits, I had high blood pressure and was gestational diabetic with BOTH pregnancies...but unhealthy habits was the "norm" so I'd suffer through eating Mexican food until my eyes almost popped out of my head, suffer through those late night runs for an ice cream or 99 cent tacos! Yea I did what  I had to do...haha, to fit in! And while I'm kidding about taking one for the team, it is tough to break away from the fattening foods thrown in our face on commercials, billboards, parties, family gatherings, restaurants, Holidays, and so on.  In the beginning and still today I catch grief but I take it as a form of flattery :)  "Oh Marissa won't eat that." or "Don't eat that in front of Marissa." as if I'd judge and I would NEVER.  My issues are my own.  Nobody else's.  I had a different relationship with food than most so as the norm can eat out and indulge without taking it to extremes, I could not and that is my own.  That is nobody's issue but my own and it is MY responsibility to improve my life in the way I know how and should.  That is my DUTY to myself and how I want to live. 

Breaking away into that 1% wasn't easy...it's STILL not easy but it's worth it.   


Seems like my boys have an easier time loving that 1%.  
They ENJOY exercise and don't seem to have the same "relationships" with food so hopefully I'm doing something right!  They enjoy being active, eating right and they FEEL GOOD!  They NEVER run of of energy so it would be nice if they'd share some of that with their Momma! 



After creating our group over 2 years ago, I now see that it is their 1%.  They will not and should not go at it alone so here they are the 99.9%!!  All the same focus and dedication.  Here they are not alone or teased for making healthy choices or putting their health as a priority.  We come together rather than rip one another apart and that is PRICELESS.  



They can feel safe here and when they want to give up, I remind them that being the 1% in every day life is hard but for this ONE HOUR, we have enormous support and encouragement.  That is something not easily found in this world pressured by "quick fixes", "fad diets", and the "lose 40+ pounds in 10 days without eating right OR exercising!!!!"....uhhhhh 


They receive no false hope from me or those around them.  They don't get pity for not showing up because they have a headache...rather they receive a, "come on, we've got this-get dressed and see you in a few!" and that is POWERFUL!!!  It is a HUGE part of their success and I'm only a small portion of this equation and without EVERY piece, we'd fall apart.  

Find your 1% as you travel on this journey of life.  It's SO important to FEEL GOOD and BE HEALTHY!  Stop making it about "fat or skinny" it's about "being healthy or unhealthy"...we all know the difference.  



Wednesday, October 14, 2015

first thing...

Often when I meet someone for the first time, and them knowing I've lost a lot of weight, changed my life and help other women do the same, I hear...
"I used to be super fit in college."
"I was in great shape before I had kids."
"I worked out a lot before I hurt my ____"
"At one point in my life, I weighed 120."
"I used to run marathons until I gained all of my weight back."
....you get the idea.
The list could go on and on.
And I'm not judging or upset with these people, but I have a point...


You ONLY fail when you quit for good, right?  Not when you have a bump in the road, that road leads you down a path you've never taken with twists, turns and road blocks, right?  RIGHT!  You fail when you give up once and for all.  So what you used to be _____.  
GET OVER IT!  
It's what's in front of you that matters NOW, isn't it? 


I used to be FAT, UNHEALTHY, WAS ADDICTED TO FAST FOOD, A SMOKER, PARTIED WAY TOO MUCH...that could define me but instead it shaped me into who I am today.  
I don't dwell on it, I learned and grew from it.  Just as I grew and learned from those times I lost weight, got a bit healthy and STILL gave up on myself for reasons I'll never know but one that I do know is that I didn't believe I could, so I never did.  

If you USED to be an athlete, healthy, a model and life changed, STOP DWELLING ON THE USED TO BE and focus on what WILL BE!!!!  
How will you change tomorrow instead of, "this was me but isn't anymore because of _______." Am I right?


We all have a "used to" and whether that used to was better than you are today or not, you have changed...we all have.  And if we want the road ahead to be bright, happy and healthy then we must cut the path!  It won't move forward on its own so if you choose to sit in "what I used to be" land, stay there by yourself...don't take others with you.  


We make our future.  We write our story.  
What do you want YOUR story to be?  Did you learn and grow or dwell on what USED to be?  

Monday, October 5, 2015

a sneak peak into my eats!

Many wonder how a girl who was overweight and was an emotional eater as I was has learned to balance her life and remain focused through good days and bad?  

I post MANY of my daily eats on Instagram: @moveitmarissa 
and my Facebook page: facebook.com/TheMoveItMomma 
and this is not only to help all of you with meal ideas but it is there to hold ME accountable!  
YES, I still struggle and have days where I am not feeling the "healthy living" lifestyle...Shocking right?  You probably think I have it all figured out but I am human and struggle like every one else so accountability and setting goals OFTEN is what keeps me on track.  
Wanting to change is great but if you don't believe that you can change, then the "want" is a big waste of time.  You can't depend on someone else to carry you to that finish line, to the next and so on.  Sure it's necessary to have support and guidance but dependence is an entirely different thing.  
People could have told me until they were blue in the face that I was unhealthy.  Loved ones could have told me they loved me, that I was overweight and that I needed help.  I could have been called "fat" or "the big girl" a million times but all of this only left only surface damage.  I KNEW all of these things, I mean I wasn't blind.  I used food to cope, which caused me to gain weight so I'd get heavier and use food to cope even more...see the cycle? 

SO while I wanted change in a big way, I didn't believe that I could change so I stayed stuck and that held me back from living life.  FEAR held me back, lack of confidence and doubt held me back...I let THAT win.  I let those feelings take over my life until I was just numb to everything else.  Something even more upsetting?  I'm now in a place to help others NOT make my mistakes yet I see it happen so often and there's absolutely NOTHING I can do about it.  
So they "want to be healthy"
Great, but do they believe that they can be healthy?  
Even when I believe in them, it's not enough to carry them through those tough days...
This explains why I'd start a "diet", do so well and hang in there for quite a bit.  I'd see big improvements but ONE, itty bitty setback and I was finished...threw in the towel and it was the nearest drive thru I could find!  Grrrr!  
But why you ask?
Well the second doubt would roll in or I became fearful or doubted what I was doing, I'd give up.  I'd give in because I didn't believe in myself AT ALL.
If I did believe, then those tough situations would come and go but I would not let those moments define or defeat me because I deserved this and believed I could do it!  THAT'S WHAT FINALLY CLICKED and I wish I could cook up some magic potion and sell it nationwide but know that the "want" only carries you so far...the "belief" is what carries you through life's mountains and valleys...the good times and bad!  It's the ONLY way to find long-term success with your health, I promise!  I've tried everything else...



The key to finding healthy options and not getting bored from repetition is to change things up OFTEN! Be creative and once you find some favorite combos, keep creating healthy alternatives to your all-time favorite junk foods...YES, it's possible!!! 
My Move It Mommas just finished up a 7 day challenge where they were given a meal plan created by me and were asked to follow it as well as increase water intake and have no other drink options other than lowfat milk/Almond milk.  THEY DID IT!  
Most lost a minimum of 3lbs with some losing as much as 6lbs!  Wow!!  I was blown away and so inspired by their dedication to this process.  
The key was reducing the amount of processed junk, increasing water intake and limiting sugars as the day wrapped up.  They ate 5 meals, all balanced and portions were single servings only-as it should be!  
The bombshell that I dropped on them today as the challenge wrapped up?
THIS is how we should be eating YEAR ROUND!  Many took this challenge as a jumping off point and now there's no stopping them!  They didn't even hesitate when I asked if they were in for another 7 days!  They went grocery shopping and are ready to conquer new goals!  Why is this so successful?  I believe that giving them short-term goals to reach each week helps them get through each day, even each hour of the week! 

THE BEST feedback I received from them?  THE BLOATING AND FATIGUE WAS GONE!
Yes.  It's the part that feels so great when going from eating so poorly to eating so healthy...the bloating and tired feeling goes away almost immediately.  So how about that for proof that diet plays a HUGE factor with your health and quality of life!!  

My results: I lost 3.5 pounds!  Wooohoooooo!  

I want to share some options I shared with them this past week but there are plenty more on The Move It Momma Facebook page :)  








PLEASE feel free to comment with questions or concerns, meal ideas or questions regarding our 7 day challenge, I am HERE TO HELP!!!  
"Like" my Facebook page and message me there as well!  I LOVE helping, so please never feel like it's a burden!