This getting healthy thing can sometimes feel like progress is not being made. There are days when I look at myself and feel like I have got a handle on all of the things…working out feels good, making better food choices does not feel like a punishment and I can appreciate the progress that I have made. Then there are moments like now when I am feeling like I am nothing more than the sleeve of Thin Mints I ate and feeling like I am never going to see any progress.
However, there is some progress being made. A few weeks ago I ran into one of my library moms who is now a fitness instructor. She shares her success on Facebook and I can admit there would have been a time when I would have had to unfollow her because frankly I would have been jealous. I was happy to see her and her little one as well as chat her up about her amazing progress. It felt good to congratulate her and share that she motivates me with her posts.
FITNESS
My workouts are going OK. I am finding that I have been making excuses about getting to the gym or getting my butt up and in gear. Once i am there, I can usually power through the workout and have been making some great strides (no pun intended).
My pace is getting better. I would not be me if I wasn’t feeling like I should be faster but I am proud of this 11:57 mile average for the month. For my workouts I have been trying to follow the Galloway Method, doing six to seven minute jogs, thirty second to one minute walk and have been averaging better times during individual runs. It feels good and doable; most of the time I can do the workout with little drama and push myself without feeling winded or overtired.
Nutrition
My attitude towards food is getting better. It’s Girl Scout Cookie season and I have, with glee, supported a few scouts. I ate and enjoyed the cookies I purchased and., even though there were a few times one cookie turned into a row of cookies (or a sleeve) I did not experience the shame that I usually have when indulging. Counting calories helps; when I see what I am eating, even if I am over my goal for the day, I have an idea of what I am eating and my cheating does not throw me too far over my calorie goal for the day.
This is important since the study I am in is winding down. We are in the maintenance phase so this means that we are only meeting quarterly. I gained weight over the holidays so while some members of the group are doing maintenance, I am still working towards weight loss. My goal is to lose the weight I gained over the holidays (six pounds) and ten percent of my weight (18 pounds) in order to reach my second weight loss goal ( 161, the lowest I have been as an adult). I would love to reach this goal before I go in for my check up but will be satisfied if I am out of the 180’s by the time we meet again.
I have been inconsistent with calorie counting. I’ll start my week very motivated and then just allow myself to forget that I should tracking. Lame, yup, but it’s the truth. I do set a goal for 1350 calories a day, down from the 1500 I was eating. There are days, like today, when I ate a sleeve of Thin Mints (so minty!) but there are days when it’s making a game out of just how much food I can get for those calories.
Other Things
There is more to weight loss than working out and eating right…mentally I have to accept that this is a change. Change does not have to be good or bad but there is something different going on and I need to allow myself room to adjust my thinking. There are no bad foods (the Skittles and breakfast sandwich I got from Wawa this week were enjoyable and that’s that) but there are better choices I can make (the fruit bowl, for instance). Instead of our weekly pizza, I had a slice and was satisfied (aside…Leandro’s is the best pizza in Upper Darby). The small things do add up and it’s a matter of me allowing myself to acknowledge these little victories instead of wanting the huge accomplishments to happen right now.
For the rest of February I am going to work on counting calories, drinking more water, working on my miles and just enjoying the process instead of getting bummed out that the progress has slowed down.
Follow me on Instagram, where I will post post workout photos and visit my Facebook page for weekly updates with my food goals.
Before I go I would like to know if YOU have any fitness goals and what are they? Let me know in the comments. I want to push through the month and while I am feeling like this:
you all may have a different outlook.
Thank for reading!
Rachee
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“There is more to weight loss than working out and eating right…mentally I have to accept that this is a change. Change does not have to be good or bad but there is something different going on and I need to allow myself room to adjust my thinking.”
That statement right there is the crux of the matter; only twice (out of four or five attempts) in my adult life have I gotten the mental aspect right and therefore saw significant changes in my weight-nutrition-lifestyle. Even a serious medical situation didn’t motivate me as successfully as getting my head together and in the right place.
Good points throughout; thank you!