Inspired or Caffeine high?

So this isn’t a rant about food or exercise or even really health. Well maybe mental heath. Ever wake up with this feeling in your belly (no not hunger) that just makes you want to go do something important in the world. I Call it my movie days. The days were I feel like my life has a purpose and i am part of some big script and this is the day my life will officially begin. Usually I feel this way after my coffee...hmm maybe the coffee is the inspiration? Anyway midway through the day i am usually very disappointed when I discover the mundane routine is all the day has to offer. I want to do something big! I want excitement, romance you know the good stuff! I want to be fulfilled to the brim, but all I get is half a turkey sandwich and some diet coke! There must be some purpose to my life. I am a mom, I love my daughter with my whole heart and soul. I have a faith in god that is unshakable. I have a great boyfriend who keeps me in check and have the talent of singing which is pretty darn awesome. I have a job and apt and a horribly ugly van that most young kids would be afraid of, but hey it runs; All of these things I am tremendously grateful for especially since the last few month have been very trying and I am finally rebuilding my life but still there is this pit in my stomach that I can’t shake. Fat Barbie was something I wanted to create for a long time. I wanted to take what I've learned and help others maybe even inspire! This has been such a great outlet for me as well; to be completely candid is kind of therapeutic. We all have our burdens to bear and our issues to share (rhymes) I think the world is hard enough so we should probably support each other right? See how I get so sidetracked? Seriously my mind is like a big bowl of different cereals! Lucky charms mixed with cheerios mixed with oatmeal and coffee instead of milk! Eww... Yup that’s my brain! So maybe I won’t change the world by this blog but if I help a handful of people than it’s totally worth it, Sounds trite to say that but I genuine mean it. As I am even writing this I now know why I woke up with the rumbling in my belly. I am doing something, I am living life and my life does have a purpose. One small thing at a time. So my advice to all you belly rumblers out there, start with something small. Maybe your movie script is right under your nose and you just need see it. Help someone else, we get so self absorbed (me included) that we forget it’s the things we do for others that is truly inspiring. I hope you have a great day, life, purpose! Oh and exercise an extra 10 minutes today!!
XOXO
Sarah

Fat Gym Rats?

Ever notice the people at the gym who are they everyday. They take classes, the sweat, and they keep up with the best of um! You see these people day in and day out but one thing never changes... their weight! I was this person for years and every time I go to the gym i am perplexed by this. I’ve seen 200 lb women kick some booty in class but no results. Do they get pissed by this or what? I’ve been an active gym'ee for over ten years but it’s only in the last year of so that I have learned to understand my body (sorta).
Here are some of the reasons I believe this happens.
1. When we exercise we are hungrier therefore we eat more because we feel we "deserve" it. You do need extra calories when you have an intense work out but the type of calories is key! One brownie can make all the difference between a plateau and breaking a plateau. So if you’re working hard at the gym and you haven’t seen results its time to tweak your diet. Subtract 200-300 cals daily and see what happens!
2. Routine. Routine. Routine. GYM MONANTINY! I was a victim of this for years! I would do weights and the elliptical most days. Even though I did work up I sweat I wasn’t forcing my body to change. Jillian Michaels changed that! I started doing her workouts and it totally transformed my body. Also take classes at the gym, most instructors change their routines weekly. Working out should never be easier but only more challenging, and it is possible to look forward to working out! RE-TRAIN YOUR BRAIN
3. Stress- I'll keep this simple. Stress suck for your body. It can actually cause you to hold on to weight. So find ways to be calm and let go of excess weight

There is nothing more frustrating than working hard and not seeing results, but i am telling you from experience it is possible. I don’t have a hard body, and there are areas that seem impossible for me to tone but I love to challenge myself and hopefully be the healthiest me I can be, I hope you do the same and find what works for you!!

So in short here are 3 tips

1. Tweak your diet- Cut the one snack out you know you don’t need
2. Break the routine-Push yourself to the breaking point, trust me you can do it!
3. De-Stress- life happens, but be gentle to your body and your soul, you deserve peace

Hope this helps
XOXO
Sarah
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A Day in my belly

Morning is hunger Central in my belly, if you don't eat breakfast then you better start! Think of it as gas in your car. You need fuel to go and you need good fuel not crappy unhealthy fuel. Lunch should be your biggest meal in my opinion. Your the most active and you need the right kinds of food to keep you going! Dinner should be your lightest meal with few carbs. Snacks are your treats but dont go overboard!

Here is a sample day of what i eat
Warning-(this works for me but everyone is different)
Breakfast-Oatmeal with blueberries or a banana coffee cream and one spenda approx. 350 Cals
Snack-Peanuts almonds or Ritz crackers- approx. 150 Cal's
Lunch-Half of a chicken ceasar wrap(dressing on side) Whole wheat wrap if possible
piece of fruit or a side salad- approx 400 cals
Snack-It really varies.. i may have a protein shake or even half a snickers. Don't be too strict or you will never stick to a plan for life. Its ok to have junk as long as its just a lil bit of junk and only once a day! approx 200 cals
Dinner- Scrambled Eggs with soy cheese and raw spinach- Approx 350cals
Snack- Plain yogurt with berries and cool whip and a cucumber- Approx 200 cals
I try to shoot for 1500-1700 cals a day and really watch my sugar and sodium intake
I eat most of my carbs in the morning and mid day and drink TONS of water. My plan is not perfect but it works pretty well for me

Exercise- 4-6 days a week alternating strength training day with cardio days. Try to sweat most days!

Hope this helps.. Feed back is appreciated!!
XOXO
Sarah

2 LB FREAK OUT

Happy Friday Lovelies! I'm going to rant about something very specific today. I don't know how embarrassing this is to admit but here on Fat Barbie nothing is off limits. I've lost almost 40lbs over the past six months or so and i believe i lost it because i let go of my obsession with my weight and just became more healthy. I wasn't freaking out over every piece of food, i was just making better choices, tweaking little things and of course exercising five days a week. The other day I realized i gained 2lbs, Which mind you can be water weight but it still freaked me out. I'm gonna give you a little insight into my neurotic obsession. If i feel as though i gained a pound or two i will try on every single pair of jeans in my wardrobe, then dresses etc, just to make sure nothing is tight and if it is tight i FREAK OUT. Like crying and becoming extremely panicked and depressed. Its very unhealthy behavior and since this recently wight loss i do not have these episodes nearly as much,Until the two pound incident. It took me so long to finally loose this wight and break my five year plateau that the thought of gaining it back scares the crap out of me so bad that i cant even let my mind go there. Ive still been exercising and eating healthy(minus a couple bad weekends..i blame brad for that!) This time i know what works for my body, i know how to eat and what i can and cant have. Basically my metabolism sucks and i have to be conscious of EVERYTHING i eat,  I've accepted this and am ok(sorta) but i hate when i go through this freak out sessions over two lbs! Anyway i don't know if I'm the only one who experiences this but my advice to myself and others is, if you have lost a significant amount of weight and are stressing about gaining it back,DON'T! Take control, TROW OUT YOUR FAT CLOTHES! You have the control of your body, don't make gaining the weight back and option. If you do gain a couple lbs back its ok as long as its not more than five pounds. Give yourself five flex pounds. The crazy thing about my freak out is I'm still ten pounds under my goal weight. We never seem to be satisfied do we? Oh well we are in fact just..Human :)
Happy Holiday Weekend! Don't over due the Cheeseburgers!!
XOXO
Sarah

Jaded Child Joy

Ok, my lovelies. Time to get serious. This is a pure motivational speech,meant to inspire,motivate and ignite! I know each person reading this has something they want to achieve,weather it be weight loss,a new job, learning a skill.(like numchucks) Regardless of what it is, now is the time to start your new adventure. When we are young we are so much more idealistic and impulsive but as time goes on we become more negative and pessimistic. We actually have an advantage the order we get. In our youth we react mostly on instinct and hormones but as we get older and have our hearts broken a couple times,loose a job or five, get too fat or to thin,or some other disappointment we become less and less spirited and more and more disheartened. Every negative experience we go through shapes our perception of who we are and the world around us. Sometimes we break in the hard times and other times we become stronger than stone. Perfect scenario: Maturity with a child like joy and lust for life at the same time staying humble and realistic while maintaining a secure income and being exceptionally beautiful..sounds like a plan right? Well eff that plan! That's not even close to our realities, so what do we do? Think of gold..in order to be purified it must go through the fire to shine. We are much like gold, going though the fire in order to see our true value. So back to what i was originally saying, Dreams.............Realistically you might not be able to be anything you want to be..sorry to burst your bubble but lets face it some dreams cant be a reality. However, there is a spark in you for a reason, take some time to figure out your passion. Revisit your childhood and remember what you loved and why, take your life experience mixed with some realism and come up with a new plan! A plan to be happy and fulfilled with the excitement of a child but the wisdom of an adult! Bottom line is we get one life, its not long, and as easy as it is to say "Carpe Diem" living out that motto is much more difficult. So here's my solution. Take a selfish day, one whole day, write down your dreams,goals, etc. No cell phone, no computer. Just you and your thoughts, by the end of the day i guarantee you'll be inspired!
Happy Thursday! Drink Water!!!!
XOXO
Sarah