There will always be critics

Today as I was making what my family lovingly calls my baby poop smoothie (the combination of pumpkin and greens does tend to make that color), I started to think of all the people that have told that they could never eat clean.  I was one of those people before I started on this journey.  I thought that I would never be able to give up my daily 44 oz fountain beverage, sweets, and eating out three to four times a week.  But guess what, I did.  Yesterday, my husband went on a lunch date to my favorite Mexican restaurant.  It was my one "cheat" meal for the week.  I think I ate about 3 chips with beans and salsa and I even drank a diet coke.  I felt a little bit naughty, but it was a good naughty.  One that will keep me going.  I'm not sure about the soda though, I kind of feel dehydrated and I have a headache today.  I order carne asada and I ate half my plate and brought home the other half.  My son gobbled it up immediately, leaving no temptation for me.

Yes, I struggle.  Yes, I have moments of weakness.  Yes, sometimes I want to scream at my naturally thin, fit husband that life isn't fair (seriously that man can put food away and it doesn't cause him to gain fat)!  But I still continue to plug away.  I keep telling myself that Tosca Reno didn't even start eating clean until she was 40 and look at what she has achieved.  I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it!  There will always be those people that are going to criticize your lifestyle changes, but there are also a lot of cheerleaders out there that will be your lifeline.  I don't know what I would do without my husband who reminds me that the guilt isn't worth the cookie (he just doesn't want to hear about it for the next 2 days), my clean eating and exercise obsessed friends Priscilla and Monica, and even my children (they hide all their junk food from me).  Even my family that are not clean eaters and are not exercise obsessed like me, are being more supportive all the time.  They see the changes that this journey has had on me.  The other day Monica even told me that she thought that I seem happier.  It is true, I feel great.  That's what is the most important thing, feeling and performing better.  The looking better is just an added bonus!

Yesterday marked the completion of week 1 of this 12 week challenge.  I feel really good about the week.  I kept my diet "tight" and I am going to continue to get the most out of every single workout.  Priscilla's determination to master the chin up bar has inspired me to do so too.  I read something about standing naked in front of the mirror and really assessing how you want to change your body.  Of course I want to get rid of my pudgy tummy, but when I did this I concentrated more on assessing my muscle definition.  I want to be able to see more definition in my biceps and I want to work on developing the V-taper.  In order to do this I need to really work on the upper back area (trapezius) and pull the shoulders out and up.  I'm not sure if they slant because of poor posture or not, but I need to work on that too.  I think that the only way to do this is to continue with lifting heavy and adding an extra back day into my routine.  And also mastering the chin up!