Recently I have decided to take better control over my life and my health. My health is something I have full control over and I decided it was time to focus on it more and get my act together. My health was something I had neglected for a while and it showed. Over the last couple years I have gained over 30 pounds and I really started to notice it when I looked at myself in pictures and in the mirror. I did not like what I saw so I decided to make a change. I shared a little more about that in a previous blog post that you can read here.
Working Out Regularly
I have never liked going to the gym. My gymtimidation was beyond real. I didnt know how to work any of the machines and never wanted to sit there and look stupid for trying to figure it out, or worse, use it wrong. So I stayed away from it. The only thing I knew how to use was the elliptical and treadmill.
I was so determined to get healthier and get in shape that I knew cardio alone would not do the trick. I needed to build muscle to actually build my figure. So I hired a trainer to help me learn the basics. Now I feel much better going to the gym and feel like I actually know what I’m doing.
The more I frequent the gym, the more I realize that nobody really cares what you are doing, they are too focused on their own workout to watch you do yours. (Unless they are creepy men who stare, that does happen unfortunately)
Nutrition
Pre weight loss, my diet was awful. It was similar to the diet of a toddler. It consisted of mac and cheese and chicken nuggets as my main food groups. I would also stress and binge eat. I would eat when I was bored and not even hungry because it gave me something to do. I knew that I shouldn’t be eating that much and that what I was eating was bad for me, I just didn’t care. I knew how to eat healthy, I just chose not to.
I made an intentional choice to eat when I am actually hungry and be more mindful of what I eat, and that changed a lot of things for me. I started to get less hungry and less moody throughout the day and I was starting to become a lot happier.
Watching My Calories
A lot of people have mixed emotions and mixed opinions about counting and watching calories. The fact is that being on a calorie deficit is what really helps you lose weight. To maintain weight, you should be eating about 2000 calories a day, but to lose weight you should be eating less than that. I record what I eat in a food diary. I use the app My Fitness Pal to do so. This has helped me to understand portion control and how much I should be eating at each meal, how many snacks I can have and track my water intake. I have learned a lot about reading labels and understanding how many calories are in different foods and what I should and shouldn’t be eating.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a cheat meal every once in a while or eat a hamburger or french fries. You can certainly have those things, but in moderation. You shouldn’t be eating things like that every day for every meal. That is basically how I gained weight in the first place.
Stay Consistent
You can’t work out once and expect a six pack of abs and perfect figure. It takes hard work, discipline and consistency. You will not feel like going to the gym every single day. You will have days that you will want to stay in bed and watch TV. But I promise you will be so happy when you do go, especially on the days you don’t feel like it. It will help you see results sooner and lose weight faster. The more consistent you are, the better results you will get.
I have my bad days. I have days where I rather do anything but go to the gym. The last thing I wanna do on a rainy Monday is get in my car and go to the gym. But I get up and get it done. You will have days where it takes longer to get into your groove or your workout may feel more difficult some days, and that is okay. Listen to your body and what it needs and if you need to go slower, then go slower or if you need to lift lighter then lift lighter. Only you know how much your body can take, so listen to it.
The easiest way to stay consistent is to get an accountability buddy. Grab a friend or family member that wants to workout with you, get in shape with you or even just someone you can talk to about your improvement and your struggles.
I have been on this journey on my own. The only help I have is from my trainer. I only see her twice a week, but the help I get from her has been really helpful. I also have the support of my boyfriend and my family. They give me the best encouragement and tell me when I am doing a good job and when they notice changes, and that has really helped me keep the motivation to keep going and working hard.
Give Yourself Grace
Losing weight is hard work! It takes a long time to start losing weight and is a long process. Your weight will fluctuate a bit. Give yourself grace and know that you are doing your best. If you are actively working towards your goal and not giving up, you are doing a great job. If you need a day off, take a day off. Rest when you need to. Taking the first step to losing weight is difficult, but continuing to work towards losing that weight is even harder. You got this. Keep working towards your goals. You will get there. You are not alone.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
This is a really vulnerable moment for me and not something I would usually share. But I hope that this can give you some hope and motivation that if you are currently going through your own weight loss journey, you are on the right track or if you are thinking about working on your own personal fitness, it is possible to lose weight with motivation and determination.
