Live Fit, Week 8: Perspective

I have finished Phase 2 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer and will be starting Phase 3 tomorrow!  This is my picture for the week.  I don't enjoy taking these pictures of myself.  I pretty much dread it, but this has been the best way I have found to hold myself accountable and also take an objective look at my progress.

Live Fit: Week 8 - Dec. 2012 - 132lbs

It comes as zero surprise that my personal struggle lately has been with my diet.  I know it may seem completely superficial for someone already fit to obsess over their diet.  That realization may actually be making this even harder for me.  Frankly, I know that when you put things into perspective eating healthy is NOT hard.  There are many actual hard things that people face every day and eating healthy food just is not one of them.  This is completely a mental and emotional challenge for me and for someone who has never given a second thought to the food she was putting into her body for 27 years... its a big one.  Whenever facing challenges like this (no matter how trivial they may seem at the time) I think it is important to look at how far you have come.  

Up until a few months ago I spent an inordinate amount of time feeling "miserable."  I put that in quotations because literally, I am sure I felt fine... but the combination of my physical state and my mood just made me feel a bit off-- all the time.  When I started working out regularly it was a step in the right direction.  My mood improved dramatically but I was still lacking a certain balance.  

The thing is, I don't think everyone needs to work out as much as I do or eat what I eat to be healthy.  I think everyone needs to find their own balance.  I am pushing myself so hard with this diet because sticking to the principles of clean eating has really made me feel better.  I am not just talking a little better anymore, but I have days when I feel 100% ALL DAY LONG!  If I miss a few meals and make up for it with sugary treats you might as well flip the "mood" switch in my brain from "pleasant" to "destructive"

Baby Weight - Oct. 2011 - 134lbs

So THAT is my BEFORE before picture.  Yeah, I only lost 2 lbs in a year of working out ;)  Anyway... I have come so far, why would I want to go back?