Food Pushers - why are they so insistent?

So, I'm earnestly working to make a commitment to my health...sleep, eat well (Paleo and juicing), exercise, water and repeat.

I have a new favorite juicing recipe:
3 handfuls of spinach
1 lemon
1 granny smith apple
1/2 handful of parsley
2 persian cucumbers
1 knuckle of ginger
It usually yields about 16oz / 2 cups of juice.

It's like drinking freshness in a Mason jar.  YUM!

So, I have a little rant to get out there...it's about Food Pushers.
There always seems to be the food pusher there...the person who insists you can have just one cookie.  But, right now, I'm not eating sugar, wheat, grains, etc...
But, here comes the FOOD PUSHER who:
* leaves a bag of Hershey miniatures in the common area at work
* brings cookies (or other "treat") to work and says "your metabolism is high right now since you just worked out, c'mon...just have one, it won't kill you."

And over and again, I have to politely but firmly say "No, thank you!"

But the FOOD PUSHER persists... "No, thank you!"

Again... "No, Thank you!"

What is their deal?  

So frustrating.

So how do you deal with a food pusher?

1.  Politely say no. (the preferred choice)
2.  Accept the item and then discretely toss it away (I don't like doing this...first, I don't want the temptation and second, I don't want them to get into the habit of giving me sweets.)
3. Accept the item and have a bite or two.  (Again, another one I prefer not to do because I don't want to start down a slippery slope of eating things that I shouldn't)

I'm seeing and feeling progress.  My latest chart is provided for you to view.
My clothes are starting to feel looser and I am seeing progress at the gym (more strength).
So...I will push forward with my own convictions and commitments.
I had a moment of pride when someone at work asked me what I was doing because my clothes look looser on me!  Score!  That gave me a boost to keep at it!

Learning New Habits

First of all:  Thanks to all my friends who are willing to read about this journey and be my encouragement/support system.  Your willingness to jump in and help is humbling.


So, as part of this fitness journey, I'm trying to learn new habits.
1.  Get rest (8 hours is the goal but 6 hours of sleep is usually the reality); resist hitting the snooze button and just get up
2.  Eating well (by eating well, I mean Paleo and I'm supplementing this with homemade vegetable/fruit juice...more veggies than fruit)
3.  Exercising (regular gym workouts with intensity and Crossfit on the weekends)
4.  Meditating (not easy since my brain tangential thoughts...hard to quiet all that riotous noise in my head).

I happened to read a blog that I like to follow called Zen Habits (#ZenHabits).
Today's posting talked about http://zenhabits.net/bank/ was creating compound habits (e.g., like compound investments.  Making small changes over time to lead to habits.  For example, to start waking up earlier, don't do it in a big chunk, start waking up earlier 5 minutes at a time and before you know it, you are waking up two hours earlier and not feeling the huge impact of the change).

EATING WELL
I think I'm changing gradually with the exception of food.
In a book that I read called, IT STARTS WITH FOOD, six pack abs are made in the kitchen (what you eat)...So, I'm trying their Whole 30 program and eating Paleo for 30 days.

Today is day 2 of my Paleo journey.
I had pot roast for breakfast (a homemade crockpot concoction that I made on Sunday and will eat off of most of this week), a pre-made Paleo lunch by PowerSupply (they deliver pre-made Paleo meals to Crossfit Gyms in the DC region (I go to #CrossfitManassas), and I'll have pot roast for dinner.  For snacks, I had two 16 oz vegetable juices that I made with my juicer at home last night. 
Biggest thing that I have noticed, I'm not having the crazy, grumbling stomach cravings that I usually do when I'm eating candy and other sweets during the day.


EXERCISING
Today's small add, I did assisted pull ups (112# assist).  For the tough mudder, I'm pretty sure I need to be able to schlep myself over things...I need to start improving that upper body strength now.  I'd like to be able to do 5 pull ups by April.  Do you think that's doable?


REST
Last night, was only 6 hours.
Will try better for tonight


MEDITATION
Will endeavour to meditate tonight as part of my bed time ritual. 
I'll commit to 3 minutes per night (a small change).

Wish me luck!

Get serious!

So here are some metrics over time.
Not a whole lot of progress.



Truths:
(1) I don't consistently eat like I should
(2) I don't consistently exercise like I should

Goals:
(1) To eat more Paleo (I will follow the advice of #CFFOTG (Crossfit Fire of the Gods) which has led me to #RobbWolf, #Whole30, #BalancedBites)
(2) To juice veggies and fruit (I follow #Drew Canole and his guidance on juicing)
(3) Exercise consistently with intensity to complete the following races this year:
- Complete the Tough Mudder in April 2013 (signed up yesterday)
- Half Marathon on 01 Jun 2013
- Marathon in Oct 2013
I will do this at Lifetime Fitness and #CrossfitManassas.

Defining my Why:
I want to be more fit and healthy in order to be more energetic.
To decrease and/or the eliminate the need for BP medicine.
To give me more longevity so I can be a great wife, mother, child, and friend.

And...just to put it all out there...here's my before shot (Jan 2013).

I commit to 90 days of being more healthful...will post an after shot at that time.

Tea with Lemon

I found a new love!
Lemons!
Nothing more enjoyable in my tea than a healthy squeeze of lemon juice.
It just wakes up the flavor.
I drank a lot of tea this week while sitting in a class...easy to stay hydrated when you're a captive audience...just keep that 16oz container Starbucks mug filled to the brim.

Big

It's Thanksgiving Weekend.
I've been less than vigilant and am back up to 181#
I cooked non-paleo this weekend (except for steamed peas and turkey).
All foods prepared were a butter or sugar delivery system.
I'm in a class all next week (opportunity to have dedicated time to get back on track) and will work earnestly to eat veggies and meat; little fruit; little to no sugar.

Love this Thanksgiving pic of my family...
Pictures tell a 1000 words..the words this picture tells me is..."Star, you are getting BIG! STOP IT!"

I'm Back!

Took some time off.
Some muscle relaxants and a power NSAID and I feel brand new.
Started yoga twice a week since I haven't been able to get a physical therapy appt.
Seems to be helping with core strength... YAY

I have new metrics.  Breakthrough on my hip measurement.  And finally below 180 consistently...a plateau I didn't think I could get off of.

	28-May-12	10-Jun-12	24-Jun-12	8-Jul-12	22-Jul-12	7-Oct-12
Waist	33.5	33	32.5	32.5	32.5	32.5
Hips	43	42.5	42.5	42.5	42.5	42
W:H Ratio	0.779	0.776	0.765	0.765	0.765	0.774
Weight	184	182	180	180	179	176
Inches on waist	-	0.5	1	1	1	1
Inches on hips		0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	1
total inches lost		1	1.5	1.5	1.5	2
Pounds lost	-	2	4	4	5	8

I also found a fun website http://www.modelmydiet.com/
You can make a virtual model and see what you will look like before and after.
I like the after shot...gives me something more tangible to work toward.

Pretty paleo most of the time but still enjoy pizza and non paleo foods.
Although...everytime I eat bread, I think I'm noticing a gassiness which is now fun.

Let's try a good paleo week and look at metrics again on 14 Oct...

I've got your back

My back is injured.  The low back is just very "rusty".
I have had a bulging disc in the past and think it is rearing its ugly head again.
The pain was intolerable last weekend which resulted in a day of rest after a visit to the ER.
The pain has subsided in a miraculous way.
One day I'm in tears...the next day...I'm slow but better.
I have an appt to see the doc on Tuesday.  I hope they order an MRI...I really want to get to the bottom of the issue with my back.

Need some core strength.