YES, I AM NOW A RUNNER!

YES, I AM NOW A RUNNER!

I'm back to my jogging schedule!  Last night it rained so I got up early and was out on my jog a little after 7.

I normally jog at about a level 3.  Level 3 is when your heart is pumping but you can still talk comfortably.  Today I decided to push harder.  Every block length or 2, I ran at a level 4 for 100 steps.  Level 4 is your heart really pumping and you can still talk but not comfortably.  I completed 8 or so of these Level 4 sections. 

This is helping me increase my speed, work my heart harder and just uses more energy.  You know how I could tell I was moving faster?  My upper arms were flopping!  hahaha 

So, I guess I can say I have moved up to actually RUNNING!  I don't know if I will run the 10K but I know I will run at least 1/2 of it!  And what an accomplishment for a 230+ pound, 61 year old woman who just started moving 3 months ago.  YES, IT HAS BEEN 3 MONTHS SINCE I STARTED JOGGING!  By Thanksgiving I will have 6 months under my belt!  WOO HOO!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber Sales:  www.caryncann.com

YAKKITY YAK

YAKKITY YAK!

Do you have that inner voice that talks smack to you all the time?  You know the one.  It never has a kind word to say to you.  It knows all your shortcomings and failures.  And it is never shy about pointing them all out to you.

There was a time that I denied having an inner voice that was discouraging and a finger pointer.  Now I know that it wasn’t that one didn’t exist.  It was that I was so used to hearing it yakking at me, that I no longer could differentiate that voice from any other.

That voice told me I was fat and a failure.  How many times did I hear that voice telling me how I didn’t measure up and never would.  That voice could take a great conversation I had with a friend and convince me that there were hidden meanings.  It didn’t take much for me to believe the lies. 

Yes, they were lies.  Everything that little but persistent voice said to me was a lie.  That voice never said, “Great job, Caryn!  You jogged a half a mile.”  No, this gnat of a voice would say, “I wouldn’t call what you do, jogging.  More like walking and not very fast at that!  You’ll never be a jogger!”  This voice would tell me how fat and ugly I was and that it would never be any different because I was a loser and a failure.

During the past year on my last weight loss journey with Skinny Fiber, I struggled when this little tyrant would start blabbering to me.  Sometimes I could ignore it; sometimes I couldn’t.  I remember one 24 hour period that I just couldn’t deal with it anymore.  I bought me 20 mini ice cream cones (I gave myself some points for not buying the regular size ice cream cones!  Lol) and I ate them all in that time.  Yeah, I felt disgusted.  Yep, I felt like a failure and a loser.  I thought “how can I convince people how great losing this weight is when I failed so miserably?” 

Two things happened that day.  The first is I decided that the next day I would go back on my program and forget about the ice cream cones.  I also decided that day that I didn’t have to listen to the inner brat taunting me, accusing me and tearing me down.  I could just decide to block out the sound of that bull dozer voice.  It would be up to me from now on.

Since then I have done so much better.  First, if I want something sweet or gooey, I get one at a store where they sell them in singles.  Once it’s gone, it’s gone but I still have the satisfaction of having had some, just not lots and lots of it.  The second thing I did was to stop listening to that voice.  Oh, not only did it ridicule me and remind me of every failure, it would try to convince me that this weight loss journey was no different than any of the other hundreds I had been on.  It tried to convince me that boy am I going to be embarrassed when I fail, again, and all of facebook, my SBC family and people I don’t even know on social media realize I was a fraud, a failure, and worthless, again.

Not this time!  When I hear that voice trying to convince me that I shouldn’t exercise, I get proactive.  I might jog twice that day instead of once.  When it tells me what a failure I am, I look at the clothes I am now wearing…sizes 16 and a few 18’s.  That reminds me that the voice is a liar!  When it taunts me with “people are staring at you and making fun of you jogging”, I refuse to listen.  I get out my videos and look at my legs.  How strong they have become in such a short time and how they are starting to look like the legs of a runner.

I’m telling you this because I know I’m not the only one with that miserable little voice that would rather see you lying in a heap on the floor crying than to see you in charge of your life.  Mute the brat!  You don’t have to listen to it!  Write down examples of all the successes you have had in your life and especially now on your own last weight loss journey.  

Do I still hear that cranky little troublemaker?  I do but not as often anymore.  You don’t have to either.  Decide to shut the noise down and live in a space where you revel in your successes and not your failures.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

Skinny Fiber:  www.caryncann.com

DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO BE HEALTHY?

DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO BE HEALTHY?

Today I heard a woman who had lost a lot of weight say the following.  “Your children (or grandchildren) don’t want you to be able to take them somewhere to play.  They want you to play with them.” And “Your husband/wife (or significant other) doesn’t want you to take care of him/her.  They want you to take care of yourself.”

When I heard her say this, it made me cry.  I did this so much when my kids were little.  I was great at taking them places to play but I couldn’t play with them.  One of my son’s fondest memories is the summer he, Ashlie and I got up every morning and went bike riding.  I wish I had been able to do this more.

And what about that significant other or spouse?  Well, I did have a pretty face.  Wasn’t that enough?  Did it matter that I was hidden under layers and layers of fat?  I did take care of him but could I dance with him?  Could I walk around The Strand with him?  Did I even have the energy to get out and do things with him?  I didn’t.  I dreaded anytime we were going out to do something.  I would stay in the hotel room and he would take the kids out.  I figured they wouldn’t miss me and besides, I thought they were embarrassed to be seen with me.

So here I am all these years later.  I’m single and my kids are grown.  I can’t relive those years of inactivity and hiding in this suit of fat.  But I can choose to live differently.  I can choose to eat healthy.  I can choose to get up and exercise.  Is it easy?  Sometimes and it does get easier with time.  Is it difficult?  More often than I would like to admit.  Are there times I want to give up?  NEVER!  I might mess up on a particular day but the next morning I am back on track.  That is probably the biggest lesson I have learned.   You will only stay fat if you give up!  You might have a bad day but it is just one day!  When you get back on track, you feel back in control.  And you know that you are doing it.  You are getting healthy.

I will say the impetus for all of my changes this past year began with a weight loss supplement made from plants called Skinny Fiber.  Yeah, big deal.  That’s what I thought.  How many diet pills, supplements, diets, experimental drugs, hypnosis, starvation and stomach stapling had I tried over 53 years?  I tried ‘em all.  This time I decided I would just follow the instructions of Skinny Fiber.  Didn’t change my diet that first month.  Just took two capsules twice daily with 16 oz  of water, drank half my weight in ounces (water) daily and stopped eating when I felt full.  And you know what happened?  I lost 10 pounds that first month.  That convinced me to keep on with the program.

At one year on my weight loss journey with Skinny Fiber, I decided to start exercising.  It’s been 5 weeks and I’m jogging over 1.5 miles a day and I’m currently doing a squat challenge.  I’m up to 140 a day!  How ‘bout that for a 61 year old woman who still weighs over 230 pounds!

My advice to anyone who has been living in a protective suit of fat, is to take a chance.  This suit that you think is somehow protecting you is actually killing you!  I know you want to live.  I did!  Decide that you are worth the effort to lose weight and become healthy.  There is no magical pill or drink.  Skinny Fiber is a great tool and I doubt I would have made it this far without it.  But the magic lies in you.  It’s there just waiting for you to tap it. 

And when you do, you will see your life transformed.  From the inside out and the outside in.  I know I’m worth the work.  I know you are too.  Just decide that you deserve to be smaller and healthier.  Just get up each morning and decide that just for today I’m going to eat healthy and move.  You will be amazed at your own transformation, inside and out.  I was a failure at it for 53 years and look at me now!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

www.caryncann.com

I MISSED A DAY. SHOULD I QUIT?

I MISSED A DAY.  SHOULD I QUIT?

Whenever I have been on an exercise quest, I was fine unless I missed a day.  If I missed a day I’d throw my hands up and say, “Well, I missed a day.  I’m done with exercising!”  And I would.

There was a time when I thought I was unique and the only person this happened to.  I realize now that I’m not alone and it is more common than I ever imagined. 

This is all part of that mindset that so many of us have in losing weight.  If we mess up on our food plan or don’t exercise one day or don’t get in all of our steps for the day, somewhere inside we decide that we have failed again and again, we lay down and give up!

I'm trying very hard to break this habit. If you miss a day of exercise or eat crap one day, the world will not end. However, don't take it as an opportunity to quit! It's not even a set back. You just wake up the next morning and re-focus.

I know so many people who are like I am, especially when it comes to "dieting" or exercising. We have to change our thoughts on those two things and on how we define failure. I know that failure only comes when you allow it. Begin anew each morning. Put yesterday behind you. You only fail if you refuse to get back up!

Don't let your mind convince you that you are a failure when you are not. Be determined and dedicated to getting back on track if you have a bad day.  That one choice and one decision will determine your success or failure.  Choose success!

Don’t let anything or anyone, INCLUDING YOU, keep you from achieving your goals of becoming healthy!

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

www.caryncann.com

UPLIFT OTHERS WITH YOUR WORDS

UPLIFT OTHERS WITH YOUR WORDS

Last night while I was jogging a man was getting in his truck.  He yelled at me, “Keep up the good work!”  I yelled back, “I’m up to 1.2 miles a day jogging.”  He drove down the street and started talking to me while I was jogging.  He told me that he was living with my neighbor in exchange for his training him.

I told him that I had been jogging for 3 weeks and was doing a squat challenge.  I said I was eating a low carb diet and I cook most everything from scratch.  He said, “I wish I could get my client motivated like you.   If he had your drive and determination, he could reach his goal in no time.”

We chatted a big longer (I kept up while he was driving) and he said, “you should be very proud!  Keep doing what you are doing.  I’m amazed with your drive.”

 I think I glowed all the way home.   Words from a stranger can uplift you so much.  Thank you, Mr. Trainer Man.  Your words made my night and will push me in the days ahead.

copyrighted 2014

caryn cannatella

www.caryncann.com

STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!!!!

STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!!!!

JOIN ME AND START LOSING!

I’ve been thinking about sharing this with you guys for a while now.  I’m a liar.  Yep, when it comes to food and being honest, well, I’m just not.

As many of you know, I'm on Skinny Fiber and I am doing well.  But I realized I could be doing better.  If I would just make a few changes, I could lose a lot more weight!

I don’t keep a food journal because I figure if I don’t write it down, then it doesn’t count.  Oh, I know intellectually it counts.  But somewhere in my brain, I’ve convinced myself that it’s like a magic eraser if it isn’t written down.

I have lost a lot of weight the past 6 months but I could have lost more.  I know I would probably have lost at least another 20 pounds.  The first month I was losing I probably ate at least one bag of hot peanuts every day.  Some days two.  That’s at least 400 calories.  Almost a pound a week I could have lost.  I comforted myself by reminding myself that peanuts are protein.  They are also fat but who cares about all the details?  Two pkgs of peanuts a day means I could have lost another 20.8 pounds. 

This year I started looking at what I’m really eating.  Not what I want people to think I eat.  By lying to myself I realize that the only person it hurts is me.  Now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with having peanuts every now and then…just not every day a couple times a day!

One reason I make my meals ahead of time is because I no longer recognize the signals that I’m full.  I portion out my breakfast, lunch and dinner.  If I stick with those, I’m fine.  When I eat out, I always have a to go box brought to me with my meal.  I eat half and take the other half home for another meal. 

My problem comes in if I just take a bite of something.  You know….graze a bit.  And that one bite, is suddenly two or three.  Your mind tricks you into thinking it doesn’t count.  It does count and can have an effect on your weight loss.  I know it does for me.

My most difficult time is in the evening.  I love to eat at night and alone.  I have frequently called food my secret lover.  Don’t want to share with anyone or even let them know I have this lover.  It’s mine.  All mine.  I don’t have to share it.  No one knows about it.  But just like a secret lover, I know the truth.  And I’m the only one that can bring it into the light and change it.  Since I know this is my weakness, I’ve decided to go back to my protein shake before bedtime.  It tastes like a milkshake, full of protein and helps keep my blood sugar stable.

Here’s my plan:

1.       Meals are portioned ahead of time, even when eating out.

2.      Keep no food  in the house that might interfere with my weight loss.

3.      Snacks are limited to my protein shakes or Atkins snacks. 

I’m committing myself to doing this for the next 7 days!  I’ll report in with my struggles and success.

Losing weight is hard.  Skinny Fiber does help me a lot but you still have to be committed to healthy eating and refraining from over eating.  Anyone who says or thinks that losing weight is easy, has never lost weight through changing their eating.  I know this time I am going to make it to my goal.  But there are still those times when I think….what if I fail again?  I try to stay focused and keep my eye on my goal. 

I’m going to make it to my goal and I hope all of you will be right here with me!

copyrighted May 2014

caryn cannatella

www.caryncann.com

WHO IS CARYNCANN?

WHO IS CARYNCANN?

When I joined AOL back in ’97 or ’98, I had to come up with a screen name that no one else was using.  I decided on my first name and part of my last name:  caryncann.  A friend and I were chatting on the phone one day and he said, “I think the screen name a person chooses says a lot about them.”  I had never thought about it but ever since I have paid more attention to a person’s user name, even in email accounts.

Caryncann.  What does this say about me?  I think it sums me up.  As my friend Mark said to me once, “Caryn cann and does do whatever she wants.”  I’m not sure how true it was 15 years ago but it certainly describes me now.

I know I can do whatever I want in my life.  If I decide to focus on anything, I know I will be successful at it.  There is no one standing in my way achieving my dreams and goals but me!  When I look back over the past year, I am able to see my accomplishments.  Here are just a few:

1.      Losing 50 pounds, slowly and consistently

2.      Learning to eat healthier

3.      Traveling alone and loving it

4.      Taking chances that I never considered taking before

5.      Deciding to start jogging

6.      Choosing  to wear clothes that in the past I would have avoided

7.      Dancing like no one is watching

8.      Making videos of myself (THIS IS A BIG DEAL!)

9.      Taking lots of pictures of myself and letting others take pictures of me.  I used to tell people that having pictures taken of me was against my religion to avoid the embarrassment.

10.   Building a business that will provide me financial independence.

Look at your user name or email address you use most often.  What does it say about you?

Over the years I have branded myself as caryncann.  I use it for almost everything.  I am the embodiment of caryncann.  Although I came up with that user name without much thought, it has come to symbolize who I am. 

What is your user/email name and how does it define you?  It does make a difference

copyrighted

caryn cannatella

www.caryncann.com