4/16/19 Edit: At the time that I wrote this post, I thought I had gained 10 lbs. I realize now that I actually did not. The couple of times I attempted whole30 this year, I would lose 7 lbs in the first week. Meaning that was probably 7 lbs of water weight that my body was holding onto because of a high carbohydrate or alcohol intake. I wish I hadn’t been so trusting of my scale, because then I would have realized that I only gained 3 lbs. I am now using DEXA scans at Composition ID to track my progress. It is amazing the impact the number on the scale can have on someone, and I totally fell into this trap.
Hello lovers. How are you?? I hope you are having an amazing day wherever you are!
Today I want to talk about weight loss. It’s almost summer (TG) which is amazing because I don’t have to freeze my tits off anymore, but it also means it’s bikini season. I will be honest guys, I really let myself go this winter…
I felt stuck in my full time job that no longer fulfilled me and I was so unsure of how to get to the point where I’m at now (I recently quit my job to pursue studying nutrition!) Unfortunately, being so unfulfilled by my life made me turn to food. Of course, I didn’t find what I was looking for in the food I was eating but it ended up finding it’s way on my body…as ten pounds. Oooopssss
I wear workout clothes every day (#blessed) but on those rare occurrences that I have to wear real people clothes I realize that I am BUSTIN outta mine. But hey, despite the fact that I’m not looking 100 rn, I still love myself and my strong body. However, I would also LOVE to be able to fit into my jean shorts again and feel comfortable in my bikini by the end of the summer.
We all deserve to feel confident in our bodies. After all, the way we exist in our bodies is the way we exist in life. If I feel uncomfortable in my body, that’s going to be obvious when I walk into a room shoulders slumped, belly out. But if I’m feeling good about myself, I’m gonna walk into a room like I own the place and it’s going to carry into other aspects of my life–teaching fitness, studying nutrition, blogging and even socializing/dating.
Weight loss is an iffy thing to talk about on the internet. I am certainly not saying that YOU should feel like you have to lose weight or look a certain way. However, I don’t think it’s wrong to want to get fit in order to feel like your best self. We all have a weight that we feel comfortable at, and this ain’t mine. The extra weight that I’m carrying is my “unfulfilled weight”. Now that I am free and living life on my own terms, I would love to get fit, redefine my relationship with food and alcohol & shed the extra layers.
I have already spent one too many years yo-yo dieting with an extremely negative mindset regarding my ability to lose weight, and this absolutely destroyed me. I had some serious limiting beliefs surrounding weight loss, (and only JUST came to the realization that these false beliefs are what held me back) as well as some disordered patterns of eating from dieting so hard.
I truly thought that in order to lose weight, I would have to starve myself, go perfectly paleo for a long and consecutive period of time, and not make any mistakes along the way. The reason I thought these things was because I was addicted to my scale. I would weigh myself every day. As we know, this is a terrible idea when you’re on your weight loss journey because the scale doesn’t paint the whole picture. If you lose a few pounds during the week and then have a cheat day on the weekend, the scale is going to say that you gained the weight back. You don’t actually gain 3 lbs of fat after one cheat meal–it’s water weight. Water retention is the body’s natural response to a higher carb intake, but I did not know this at the time. For me to constantly lose weight during the week and then gain it back every weekend was a huge mind fuck. I thought I was such a failure for not being able to stick to the rigid programs I would make for myself. I was so wrong.
Knowing what I know now, my ~chill~ guidelines for weight loss will be very different this time. I will not weigh myself frequently. Instead, I will either take measurements/progress pics or simply try on pants that don’t fit and see if they feel better week to week. Instead of forcing myself to be perfectly paleo all the time, I will practice intuitive eating i.e., eating when hungry, stopping when full. I think intuitive eating is easier than following a particular diet. It also makes for some wiggle room when going out to eat with friends. Of course, when I make food for myself, it will be real, healthy food. It’s easier to sense your body’s satiety cues when you’re eating real food versus fake processed food that’s literally created to make you want more and more.
The biggest component for me in my weight loss journey will be the spiritual aspect. This is the part that I was seriously lacking last time. I had such negative thoughts regarding weight loss and made it nearly impossible for myself. This time, I will use positive weight loss affirmations, vision boards and self-care to assist me on my journey. Doing so brings magic into weight loss and makes it fun! With everything in life, it’s important to stay positive, invite the magic in and have fun with it.
Before
-take before pics, measurement & weight – OR just try on different outfits and take note of how they fit. Try them on each week–preferably on Friday so that if you go out on the weekends, you have the week to recover. This way of measuring your progress requires less effort than measuring yourself with a tape measure on a weekly basis. Also, I’d rather not have to rely on the scale. Although I know the number does not paint the whole picture, it can be tough not to let it disappoint or define me sometimes.
-create a vision board! fill it with fit woman who have similar body types as you and positive healthy living quotes.
-print this food and fitness log and track weekly workouts and meals
-meal prep! Pick recipes to make ahead (try one new recipe per week to keep things interesting) and make sure meals and snacks are prepped for the next 3 days
-plan workouts! Of course, you may not stick to the exact schedule but laying it out ahead of time will help you manage your time better. (ie if I want to workout on Wednesday morning before I teach barre, I will have to make sure my Pure Barre class is memorized by the night before.)
-find a fun place to do homework & class prep and do this ahead of time so you’re not stressed out at the last minute (or missing workouts due to procrastination) make a schedule for studying!
During
-continue to go to therapy to work on the mental while improving the physical.
-move your body for at least 7 minutes a day. My goal for the first couple weeks is to take 2 Pure Barre classes, 2 [solidcore] classes and 1 soul cycle class per week. Then build from there.
-practice daily affirmation reading, meditation, journaling, looking at vision boards
-after finishing a meal try going on a walk or listening to a meditation to avoid overeating
-schedule workout dates with friends
-read juicy books or watch a show on Netflix to satisfy your need for fulfillment instead of reaching for those late night snacks
-bring a friend along for the journey
-track progress on Friday mornings so that you can have a lil fun on the weekend. That way you have the week to recover and lose the water weight.
An extra perk of getting fit & healthy is having my shit together. Prioritizing workouts and meal prep really means I will have to be organized with my time and not procrastinate my work. News flash ladies: it’s cool to be a bad bitch and have your shit together. I’m so over being a hungover young sloth who’s just getting by in life. I’ve done that for so long, time to move on.
Besides being adult AF, some other perks of getting fit include: daily endorphin rush, glowing skin from eating healthy, being a better fitness instructor from taking class often & having more energy.
I feel like I am at a place mentally where I can try and lose weight again and not go to crazy town. The difference is that I don’t hate my body anymore. I’m not in a rush to lose weight for X event. I practice positive self-talk and affirmations. I am forgiving of myself. I am fulfilled by my life! I am not focused on being perfect, but rather making progress and bouncing back when slip ups happen. It’s all about that recovery. I know that in order to make losing weight fun, I just need to bring magic into the process and it won’t suck! I am not defined by my weight or the way my clothes fit. Regardless of all of those things, I am beautiful, strong and thankful for my capable body.
I will absolutely keep you guys updated on my journey. Are you on a weight loss journey, too? If so I would love to hear from you!
xx
