Weigh-in Update - Getting Long-Term Results

Let's just go ahead and get right to the weigh-in! It wasn't what I expected, or what I wanted, but at least the scale was down! I lost .6 this week, which means I only need to lose .9 next week to meet my next goal. Keeping it positive! :) Besides my weigh-in update, I also wanted to talk about what I feel is important to keep in mind as you go through your own health and fitness journey. I bring this up because we have several new clients at Fitness Together who are going strong and getting great results, and I want them and anyone else who is just beginning their journey, to know it's okay if you're not doing everything perfect.

I have found from personal experience when I would try to change everything at once and attempt to do it perfectly, the first time I mess up or don't get the results I want, I become discouraged and give up. That's why I feel it's important to let people know it's okay not to change everything at once. I'm still making changes and I've been doing this for three years. Also, having that long-term goal is great, but in the process you want to have short-term goals to focus on. This is another reason why people become discouraged, they focus on the end results and when they don't reach their goal as fast as they think they should they give up.

So, if you have a final goal in mind, set some weekly and monthly goals that will help you get there. Make small changes and improvements so you don't feel so overwhelmed. But more importantly if you're not seeing the results you want, don't give up, re-evaluate your plan and adjust where needed. Now, I know all of this is easier said than done, but having a great support system will make it better. Obviously the best support system is having your friends, family, and co-workers working out and eating healthy just like you are; but, I know this is not reality. So, the best way to make sure you have the best support system around you, is be honest with yourself and the people in your daily lives. What I mean is you have to be honest with yourself in what you need and what you want, then you have to make sure the people in your life understand this is important to you.

Some things I did was I made a commitment to myself that I would not miss or reschedule a workout just because someone wants to go have dinner or lunch. My session is 45 minutes, I can catch up with them afterwards, or they can wait until I'm done. In the three years I've been with FT, I've only missed sessions when I was sick and my doctor or trainer told me to stay home. Another thing I did was I stopped participating in food days at my job. We were always having them and so to avoid the temptations, I just didn't participate. Yeah, some co-workers made comments, but I didn't care. First of all, the majority of the food brought isn't healthy, and then also I wasn't strong enough to say no to the things I shouldn't eat. Now I have my eating habits under control, so I'll participate in a food day from time to time, but not every time.

Everyone has their own challenges when making changes with their health and fitness, and I really believe making small changes along the way will get you the long-term results you want. The other important thing, is to remember, ALWAYS do what's best for YOU!!!! Because your health and fitness journey is about making YOU a stronger and healthier person!

Planning And Prepping

Meal planning is very essential when it comes to meeting your health and fitness goals. I've been planning my weekly meals for quite some time now, but the last few weeks I have taken Michael's suggestion on prepping my meals for the week and it has really made a difference! I take the weekend to plan my menu for the week, and then Sunday I prep all my lunches and dinners for the week. It's been nice knowing when I get home from my day I don't have to cook dinner or prepare a lunch for the next day. All I have to do is heat up my dinner and then grab a lunch out of the freezer and pack that along with my snacks for the next day. This has also allowed me to stay completely on track with my meal plan for the week.

Before I started prepping my meals for the week, I would come home each night and cook my dinner and also cook something for my lunch the next day. Even though I had it planned out, by doing this, I was still risking getting off track. I would have nights I wouldn't feel like cooking so I would throw something simple and quick together and a lot of times may not have been the healthiest options. Because of some of the conversations I had last week, I thought this would be a great reminder about the importance of not only planning your meals ahead of time, but the benefits of also prepping them ahead of time. So, what are you doing to plan and prep to ensure you meet your own health and fitness goals this week?

No! I'm Not On A Diet!

I had a couple conversations this week that has inspired this blog post. I've talked before about the word "diet". When the word diet is mentioned, the majority of people automatically make the assumption you are trying to lose weight. But, over the last three years, my opinion of the word diet has changed drastically, and that's what I want to share in this post. In my opinion, no one is ON a diet, but we all HAVE a diet. Your "diet" is what and how you eat. The other common assumption about a diet is once you lose the weight, you don't need to be on a "diet" anymore; and most people revert back to old eating habits and typically gain all and plus some of their weight back.

I'll use myself as an example. I became drastically overweight and very unhealthy because I had a crappy diet. Before starting Fitness Together, my diet consisted of a lot of unhealthy and even fast food that supplied very little or no nutritional value; and it didn't help I had zero activity in my life. I definitely wasn't eating for the right reasons. Obviously I ate when I was hungry, and then also when I was depressed and even bored. But, now my diet consist of healthy and nutritional foods. I time my snacks and meals around my work and workout schedule to ensure my body is fueled with healthy foods at the proper times to get me through the day.

As I mentioned, a couple conversations triggered these thoughts and this post. Earlier this week I had various conversations with different people, but they all were very similar. They are frustrated because they aren't losing weight or getting the results they want. They workout (very hard), but when asked about their meals it's anything but healthy and nutritional. There's a quote, "You can't out train a bad diet." A typical week for me consists of six days of training, and five of those days I'm at the Fitness Center two or three times a day. All this training will not get me any closer to my goals if outside of the fitness center my diet is crappy. Now, I do allow myself one reward meal a week, and there's nothing wrong with splurging on one meal from time to time like that. Where this becomes a problem, is when people allow these type of "reward meals" to become a daily part of their diet.

The second conversation I had was with a lady from work. She has only been with the company for a couple months and she isn't aware of everything I've accomplished over the last three years. This is how our conversation went in the break room as I was heating up my baked chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower.

• HER: Are you on a diet?
• ME: No, I'm not on a diet.
• HER: Well, it looks like you've lost weight.
• ME: I have. My trainer modified my meal plan and I've lost almost 10 pounds in the last month.
• HER (with confused look): Oh...but you're not on a diet?
• ME (getting a little irritated she keeps asking if I'm ON a diet): No, I'm not on a diet. These are foods I eat regularly and the carb cycling meal plan I'm on allows me to eat my protein and healthy carbs at the right time to ensure my body is properly fueled.

I then went on to explain my thoughts on the word "diet". I also explained, even though I still have some weight to lose, that once I do hit a healthy goal weight I'm not changing my diet. I'll continue to eat the same foods, but with Michael's help, we will modify my meal plan to ensure I maintain that healthy weight. And because I know how these conversations go, I didn't give her the opportunity to ask if I'll continue working with a trainer once I get to my goal weight. I just said, "And no, I will not stop working with my trainer once I get to where I want to maintain." I'll not only need, but will always want his guidance and support so I know I'll never revert back to my old habits. Then I proceeded to tell her I've lost almost 130 pounds total in the last three years. I think at this point she didn't know what else to say, so she said, "Wow, great job!". And then she walked out of the break room.

And let me point out, I talk about my meal plans. And that's because I continue to eat the same healthy foods, but one of the most effective things someone can do to be successful with their health and fitness goals is to plan their meals ahead and stick with the plan. So, next time you think to yourself, I need to lose weight; don't ask yourself what kind of "diet" should I go on, but ask yourself what is my current diet like and how can I change it to ensure I'm eating healthier and getting the results I want.