Sometimes you need a friend to just tell you the truth. The hard truth. It may hurt, but sometimes you need someone to just gut check you. A friend recently said the following to me:
"You are filling your life with animals and food."
She would be the worst life coach ever (lol), but she said this with concern and love. And she is right. With thirteen pets (one is a foster up for adoption), I cannot take anymore in. And at 250 lbs, I need to get back on my road to health. I am not calling it weight loss. I am going to call it, Crystal's ambition to get up a flight of stairs without dying. Yes...that sounds accurate.
Two months ago, I was doing the complete fitness plan. I was using My Fitness Pal to track my food diary and calories. I was going to spin class four times a week, and had started to add in some weight training. But, I was not losing weight. Not a pound. Not an inch. I was so focused on the numbers that I missed the whole point of the journey. I was bashing myself every time I chose to stay at home and cuddle my dogs instead of going to the gym. I was miserable. I was depressed. I needed to stop.
So I did. I would not let myself count. I went to the gym only when I wanted to. I stopped an unhealthy mindset before it started.
Now, I need to get back on track. I am setting a plan.
First, I loved spin class. I love the music and incorporating the biking with it. If I felt good, I went really hard. If I was more tired, I could take it easy. Either way, I was working out and burning calories.
Also, I loved weight training. My YMCA trainer has helped me to put together a weight training plan and I can go in and do all of my sets without supervision. It gives me structure and freedom, which I like.
Second, I need to stick to a schedule that is realistic. I am not a morning person, so I should not set myself up for failure by trying to go to a morning spin class. I won't go my full potential and I will end up skipping it. Right after work is my ideal time to work. I will need to burn off some stress and I am awake, so it is when I need to go.
Third, the calorie counting does not work for me. It makes me too obsessed with every little calorie going into my mouth. However, I can use My Fitness Pal to keep a food diary of what I am eating. If I look back and see that I am eating too much bread, I can adjust. If I see that I need more veggies, I can add them. I can also plan my meals for the week and plan ahead for good choices.
And lastly, I am not going to weigh myself. Well at least not at first. My trainer told me to focus on how my body feels at first, how my clothes hang, and how strong I am getting. I should stay focused on them and not a number. If I am doing this right, I may not see weight loss because my body is turning fat into muscle, but after that I will see, feel and know the loss is there.
I need this badly. Remember the Napa post where I was talking about getting back the confidence and energy of my old self. Well I think this will help. Plus, my body back in the day was like a brickhouse. I was stacked! HAHAHA
Talk later!
Crystal
No comments:
Post a Comment