This is what success looks like. |
Friday is weighday. First thing this morning weighed myself. The news is neither good nor bad in the grand scheme of things. I gained 1/2 pound since last Friday which puts me at 5 1/2 down since the first week in January. I am not surprised, since last weekend was pretty loosey goosey and so far tonight will be my third workout–no added cardio on off days. Plus, I have been short on sleep and I really think it makes a difference in my day to day clarity, performance, hunger ques and motivation. How could I have done better? Planning. Making sure that my daily priorites always included enough sleep, exercise, planned meals and snacks. Also eating on schedule. Long gaps of not eating definitely affect my ability to control my food portions as well as what I choose to eat. Getting too hungry is dangerous ground for me. It’s easy to carry snacks: sliced apple and peanut or almond butter, clementines, nuts, string cheese. A nice crisp granny smith apple with nut butter or a little cheese will keep my hunger at bay for at least 2 hours. One of the girls suggested Fiber One bars which provide 9 grams of fiber. Good recommendation. And I always try to remember to have one or two bottles of water on hand.
Noticing and being consistently aware of how different foods, habits and schedules affect my wellbeing is very different than living the random, less than conscious lifestyle I used to. I still have some tweaking to do but my deliberate choosing of what, when and how much to eat is a conscious decision most of the time. No, not all the time. But knowing where I need to improve and relating it to my whole lifestyle (i.e. realizing that lack of sleep makes me hungrier) allows me to tackle the problem, not just the symptom. Reducing my portions and making healthy choices is much more difficult, almost impossible, if my body is trying to overcome an energy deficit because I’m just plain tired.
This newly developed awareness is empowering. Just 2 months ago, I was unmotivated, unfocused and confused. And overwhelmed. We’re constantly bombarded by conflicting images and messages. On tv, in movies, advertising, print and fashion. We admire the thin, at the same time being told to eat this, beauty only looks like that…Don’t be too fat, don’t be too thin. Clothing manufacturers make sample sizes for runway models that often look like 12 year old boys, not women. Current beauty trends tell us that we should look like Barbie dolls, bodies with proportions that are so out of touch with nature that we’re set up to never feel good about ourselves. No wonder I was confused, as I imagine a lot of you are.
I have gained a lot from the Best Life program in just 5 weeks. I move better, eat better, feel better, look better. I’ve lost weight. And I will continue to do so because by living this way–no gimmicks, no procrastination, no confusion–I know that I’m achieving balance and wellbeing that lasts. Reaching my goal, is much less of a focus than enjoying the process of getting there day by day. This is a real powerful realization, because the reason I gained back the weight so many times before is because I stopped enjoying that process. Sure, there are times (plenty) I don’t want to exercise; I want to eat every french fry on earth…
But I’m learning the tools to counteract that destructive behavior. Or at least to limit it. I’m living this new lifestyle every day, slipping up less and less. That means I’m already successful. And so are all of you who are in the process of improving your lifestyle, your health, your self image.
