0 Day 10; WEIGHT and see

SO, last Saturday was the first weigh in after the start of this 40 days weight loss challenge...

I'm that type of a person who normally feels it (physically) when I've lost weight. You know, I feel altogether lighter!
But last Saturday I simply did not know what to expect. I guess it was all due to the ever present muscle pain and some light bloating thanks to the upcoming shark week.

"6:45am at SDK... BE ON TIME!", said the trainer on Friday night, "and bring a fruit or something to eat thereafter, cause we're having boot camp!"
(SHEEEEZZZ...seriously?!?! THAT early on a Saturday morning???)

YYYYUP!!!

But when you truly want something, you'd go for it no matter what, right? All the way...
So there I was last Saturday, right on time!! And... (Sy does a weird happy dance here)... I've lost a total of 3.7 Kgs already!!!!! WHOOOOOHHOOOOOTTT!!!

AHA! And I also survived boot camp. Even if that meant to sprint with my last strength, kicking the sneakers off and keep on sprinting, squat, jump and staying breathless and shaking thereafter. (Read: boot camp was the harshest hours of training in the past week. SOME SERIOUSLY SEVERE TRAINING; to my humble opinion) But, I survived!

So, here we stand, at the beginning of week # 2...with blisters on my toes and sore muscles that just won’t ease up. Besides that all, today I feel HUNGRY! I'm seriously craving FOODDDD. I guess I have shark week to thank therefore too...
But I'm determined to absorb as much of the positivism as possible from this experience. So chill out, I'm not cheating! I'm going to behave...

Signing out in wait for lunchtime :)


A slightly lighter Sy!

0 And I loved!

So yesterday was V-day and... I hope you had a beautiful one!
Red and white EVERYWHERE, arrangements being sent by (secret) admirers/ lovers, candle-lit romantic encounters, beautiful wishes, kisses, tight hugs, sweet poems, teddy bears, chocolate boxes, heart-shaped balloons, declarations of love, cuddling...Have I forgotten something?

A widely commercialized holiday, yes, but to my opinion with an important meaning and a life-lesson behind it.
When you come to think about it, which holiday isn’t really commercialized these days?

V-day is truly about LOVE...
The feeling that makes the world go round. In the end, what is a human-being without love?
Mr. George Sand quotes: “There’s only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved.” Of course, life’s got other things that bring happiness to a person’s heart... and maybe we should discuss the topic of happiness on another occasion; but love is surely one of the most important ingredients to a fulfilling life.

People may think about romantic dinners, lovely cards, secret admirers and “couple-to-couple-kissy-kissy-love” when the name valentine is mentioned...but in the end it’s more than just that...much, much more.

It is about the love of your family, the companionship of a friend, the thoughtfulness, feeling you are important to people, feeling appreciated...simple silly reminders that you matter to those around you and that they matter to you in return.

No, I wasn’t showered with gifts yesterday, but I’m sure that each one that I received was given directly from the heart. And each one that I have given out was undoubtedly meant to translate sincere love and appreciation to the people in my life.

You don’t NEED to buy the commercialized stuff to celebrate LOVE...make a card of your own, write ‘I love you’ on your loved one’s arm, give them a  spontaneous heart-warming hug, SHOW some love...love some more.
And even if next time you choose to buy a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolate, a hallmark card or invite the person out for an expensive dinner...that’s all good...as long as it’s given wholeheartedly.

Thou I believe it is important to constantly show love...not just on February the 14^th. And it’s not  even the material gifts that matters most, it’s the gift of you...to the people you love.
So, go ahead and act totally silly....send out a message to wish someone a happy love day; cause you loved them yesterday and you still love them today.

And, by the way... happy love day to you too while you read this...

Have a meaningful, heart-warming, happy one...

Yours always,

A lovebug

0 Ia(m)e

Should you ever come to a crossroad, where external factors are trying to knock so hard against your identity, to the point where your life hath taken a 360 degree turn and you find yourself standing again at square one; stand still...

Who are you really?

What do you want in life?

What is your goal?

What drives you?

How do you plan to excel in life?

External factors are prone to contribute onto forming the humanbeing.

Society sets standards to which we choose to keep ourselves on a daily basis. Your family has certain believes, rules and customs. Your friends have (sometimes without previous agreements) a certain pattern of behavior. "Religion" or whatever spiritual conviction you choose...has rules, regulations, laws and standards. Work/school sets their own behavioral- (& dress) code.
Go on, fill in the names of what/whom else has been (trying to) form you in such a way...

I don't exactly oppose any of the above mentioned. But face it, sometimes they can get pretty irrational; to the point where you loose sight of who you are.
And sometimes people will come to "like" you, solely based on whether or not you keep yourself to their standards. So, in a certain fear of not being "disliked", we sometimes keep ourselves to every single expectation of the person/place we're dealing with.
*If you know your family believes a certain behavior is horrible for people of your color, social status or origin, you choose not to behave like that...JUST because that's what you've been taught...and you don't want to dishonor your family of course.
*Your friend utterly detests it when you speak in a certain tone of voice, so you (try to) control yourself around him/her...even thou you feel perfectly comfortable speaking in THAT particular tone.
*Religion tells you not to do something, and you simply restrain from doing it without really being able to explain the reason why you don't.
* Society tells you to dress in a certain way, so even thou you feel better dressed as an Apache indian, you resolve to wear what society requires you to, to fit in.

Wait, I'm not promoting brutality or liberalism and much less lawbreaking. I'm just trying to tell you to stand still in the midst of it all. Know who YOU really are. And be true to you... Even when merging into the different roles you have in society, don't ever loose YOURSELF from sight.

I...I am Sy. I am (still) a believer. I am multi-talented. I am a strong woman. I am not perfect and neither do I claim to be.I am (sometimes) very outspoken and sarcastic. I paint my nails in extravagant and crazy colors inspite of my serious job. I can be very introverted and secretive. I am a survivor. I am a lover. I am a friend. I spend a lot of time thinking. I am a fighter. I am (sometimes) a shameless flirt. I am loyal, I am a big dreamer, I can act crazy sometimes and enjoy it, I can be difficult, I do laugh about my own stupidity sometimes, I make mistakes...I sometimes avoid facing my problems. I am Sy...

And in the end I am nothing but me, and I hope you love me for me. Not for any possessions i might/might not have. Not for any of my physical traits. Not for what I did, do or don't. Not for keeping up to the rules. Not for obeying the laws and regulations. Not for living up to the social/behavioral/religious standards or for lacking to do so.
And much less for the image of me you've created in your mind. But love me, accept me and appreciate me for me.
And so, this is me; with all my flaws, mistakes, shortcomings, abilities, strongholds and all... And I hope you'll learn to love me for me.

Who are you really?
What is it, that makes you you?
Stop sacrificing who you are...
Discover yourself, love yourself and always be true to yourself! My piece of advice...

0 When the minor takes control...

This morning I read some very wise words. And I personally took them as an advice to self, on the quest to building up a smarter and stronger character.

It said;

“Try to remember to think long-term and don’t let minor annoyances distract you from more important issues”

Thinking long-term... I guess sometimes we all need to be reminded to do this, don’t we?
 We’re all human, and sometimes we fret so much about the small insignificant stuff that we forget to focus on the bigger pictures of life. And so do I sometimes, even if I might not always show.

Beautiful things, valuable lessons and awe filling moments can easily pass us by...’cause we’ve got our attention fixed on the wrong stuff.

These days I’ve had some of those minor annoyances. The problem is not exactly having them. The problem is letting them linger in your mind enough to worry you, push you down and become a major cancer ball that takes away your peace of mind, your joy of living, your love to life and in times, even your health.

It is sometimes inevitable, for these small drops that fill our buckets are right there to deal with at each step of our ways. You can actually do nothing to avoid them. They are sometimes in our families, in our work environment, at school... You name it!
The art is to find a way to not let them distract us from the important issues in our lives. Not to let them push us down.

I believe in order for something to distract us, it simply needs to get a good grip of our attention. It should in some way or another arrest our mind, rationality and emotions and obstructs clear thinking.

For a minor annoyance to distract us from an important issue it needs first to get powerful enough to push down whatever else occupies your thoughts at the moment.
And the mind and emotions are a pro at doing that if we’d only let them have their way. All of a sudden you FEEL as thou the person greeted you in a strange way, you THINK they must be right you can’t do certain things, you BELIEVE that you’re bound to become no more than this heap of problems and then suddenly you are CONVINCED that the world might end for you because of this.

It is, truly a challenge in life...for each one of us, to start believing we are extraordinary creatures; big enough to tackle whatever circumstance that crosses our path. Definitely bigger than any small and insignificant annoyance.
And  that we’re meant for bigger things in life...meant to attend important issues. Meant for BIGGER, BETTER and more CHALLENGING pictures.
And at the moment we realize this, the minor annoyances start appearing so small, so unimportant, sooo diminutive they diminish from being as important as to distract us from the more important stuff in live.

0 The lost massa report

In one of my first blog posts I stated about my weight loss journey. And yes, I’m still working on it.

Sometimes the going is very easy and the motivation is sky high. But at other times not even the most motivational article online won’t do the trick. Nope, not even the colleague who tells you that you’ll gain 11 pounds if you eat THAT.

I’ve learned thou, through trial and error, that it takes a good control of that switch in the mind that makes you eat excessively, unhealthy or just wrong.
I am by nature a stress-eater; meaning that I’m used to suppress stress by eating. (Read: indulging my senses; sometimes to in an uncontrollable manner). And not to mention my harsh PMS knock downs. Stressed states and PMS, for me, normally goes paired with chocolate, chips (and dips), sweets, ice cream and junk food. 
So, in the battle for a new lifestyle, between my overindulgent self and my (now) more self conscious self, I had to find another way to deal.
And I guess you’d expect me to say that I’ve found the formula, right? Well, yes...and no!
After months of travelling the weight loss lane I have one conclusion. There is actually no super formula to the cravings for something totally satisfying when you’re wired with stress or having PMS.
The cravings will come!
And the way to deal is to have control on the mental switch that says “GO AHEAD,...satiate your wanting!!!”  and the other switch that deliberately tells you “No,...not now!”.
In other words, it’s all in the mind!!

I still get cravings. (MAYOR CRAVINGS). And I’ve managed to strengthen my mental switch quite well and can (most of the times) silent the need to gratify. Besides, I have found healthier ways to pace down the need for snacking (to mention an example. Peanuts (especially almonds), raisins or simply a good fruit juice often does it for me.
Everyone should experiment with the healthy choices and find their favorites.
At other times I DO succumb to my cravings for a good, juicy and fat burger for example; or simply a creamy chocolate bar. Of course, if I need to make this my new lifestyle in order to lose and maintain a healthy weight, I won’t be able to do a lifetime without sir!!! So I occasionally do give in... but the key is, not to overdo.

So far, I’ve lost 46 pounds (20,8 kgs) and I’ve lost track of the overall centimeters lost. Losing the extra weight feels absolutely great. You feel more comfortable in your skin, gorgeous and super self-confident.
People will soon start noticing and giving you compliments on the new you. (Even thou you have to watch out not to let those compliments boost you into allowing yourself to eat more than you should).
But the best part of it all is when YOU start noticing all the differences... It’s an achievement YOU made. And that’s such an awesome feeling! You can be sooooo proud of yourself for it...

I still have more losing to do. I’m aiming for another 44 ponds (20kgs), but most people told that much is not necessary. So we’ll see what it’ll be!  
My dietician told me I’ve reached my so called “stubborn fat”. And well ironically my friends sometimes tell me I can be quite stubborn myself. So, let’s see who wins this stubbornness battle...

Will occasionally keep you posted on the warfare updates =)

4 Million dollar questions

I have two...questions today really eating at my brain cells.

Question 1. (And I just need to get it off my chest before moving on)
Why would someone literally ridicule himself on a social network site in order to catch someone else's attention?
I mean, can u really be that desperate? Dude, nobody's a lollipop....quit the sucking.

Commenting on one thing is normal. Commenting and liking 2 or 3 things is still acceptable. But commenting and liking EVERYTHING the person posts....is synonym to despair! Ahum,....boy....the sink's full and the laundry's dirty. A.k.a. GET A JOB! It shouldn't be decent at all...it should just be a job....to get you off the internet.

Nope, didn't happen to me this time (and I'm grateful)....lucky dog! It just gotten to my attention...and I blogged about it. If it happened to me, I think I would have....uhm you know what, let's jump to the nxt question!

Question nr 2. Why would is it that we hide what we really feel for a certain person?
This question really popped up after a small convo with a friend.

Made me really ask myself whether all the people around me (atleast the most important ones) really know how I feel about them...
And I conclude,... they probably don't.
He doesn't know I love him so much it's almost uncontainable, she doesn't know an intense burst of hate wells up in me every now and then towards her, they don't know I'm tired of it all,  I'm sure she doesn't know how much I appreciate her, he doesn't know I think he can be a whiny cry baby at times....

Sigh...so many things to say, so little courage.

Cuz yes, I think that plays a cardinal role...COURAGE. We are afraid how the person will react, we don't really know if we SHOULD tell anything, a bunch of 'what  if's' pop u'p, our own head tells us to better shut up. And the heart reaffirms..."Yes keep it to yourself...to the grave". Lack of courage is not the only motive of course.... Nah I don't think it is.

But what if it didn't really matter? What if you could tell me straight up to my face what you really feel for me..without the occurence of something awkward or dreadful? Without all the masquerade and all? What if the standards of the world didn't matter? What if my reaction to your confession wouldn't be that frightening for a moment? What if my ears could hear you say it and my eyes could watch as the words dance out of your lips. What if you gained all the courage in the world....would you tell me? Would you tell me the truth?

I would....but if I only had the courage!


Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Digicel

0 W-end booster!

I think this small inspirational text should serve as a beautiful reminder all through our lives; that we can actually take courage and stop avoiding possible obstacles...

HAVE YOURSELF A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!


"When I was a Boy Scout, we played a game when new Scouts joined the troop. We lined up chairs in a pattern, creating an obstacle course through which the new Scouts, blindfolded, were supposed to maneuver. The Scoutmaster gave them a few moments to study the pattern before our adventure began. But as soon as the victims were blindfolded, the rest of us quietly removed the chairs. I think life is like this game. Perhaps we spend our lives avoiding obstacles we have created for ourselves and in reality exist only in our minds. We're afraid to apply for that job, take violin lessons, learn a foreign language, call an old friend, write our Congressman - whatever it is that we would really like to do but don't because of personal obstacles. Don't avoid any chairs until you run smack into one. And if you do, at least you'll have a place to sit down."
~Pierce Vincent Eckhart

0 Another thought bubble, gone! "You wouldn't have to try so hard if..."

Say…you choose to be a pilot. Then, a pilot is what you are! (Unless you choose to change careers at a certain point) Right?

Now say…you walk around town in your pilot uniform. Everyone who sees you will identify you as a pilot, right?
Would you tell someone that you’re a doctor, when everyone sees you wearing your pilot uniform?

Might sound like nonsense; but there ARE people who’ll do such thing. As a matter of fact they’ll try all their best to convince you of the contrary of that which is so visible. In some cases, fooling no one but themselves.

I’ve always heard of a very interesting theory that teaches us that if we repeat something long enough we might end up believing, acting and living according to that.

But why would you try so hard if what you are is totally ok? Are you ashamed of being a pilot? Is being a pilot a handicap? Or is it that you're not sure you are a pilot?
I think, you wouldn’t have to try so hard to portray something to the people around you if you were sure and comfortable in your own skin. You KNOW who you are and you know where you're going and couldn't care less...

Listen here, there’s nothing wrong with repeating something to yourself (according to the theory).  As a matter of fact, in some cases I think you CAN and SHOULD. As long as what you are trying to convince yourself- AND the world of is totally realistic. For instance, you have a certain goal you want to reach, you have dreams you want to come true, things you want to achieve or a drastical change you wish to make…GO FOR IT! Boost yourself every morning with a good dose of positivism.

But there are some things…dude…you will just need to accept and live with or REALLY change 'em!!! If you are a pilot, and everyone can see you walking in your pilot uniform…don’t try to convince me that you're a construction worker!

Like, the totally homosexual guy trying to convince other people that he’s into woman… Why dude? Ashamed of who you are? Afraid people will judge you? Afraid of being stigmatized? Afraid they won’t accept you?

As for a fact, you ARE a human being (no matter who or what you are); and you don’t need to do anything to convince me of that.
You HAVE a certain skin color, and you didn’t need to reassure that fact to anyone who sat beside you today.
You DO possess certain features which anyone can see without you having to make any special efforts.
Accept who you are...and be you, in total grandeur.

Cut all crap hunny…stop trying so hard to be something/someone you're not. Be who you really are, do what you do best, have what you have…

AND BE PROUD OF IT!