This past week a few folks have commented on my "diet", and I've been asked questions that I don't know how to answer, so I stare at people or go silent, not because I'm upset about the comment or questions but because I don't really have an answer. Due to a variety of time consumers and physical injuries, this thread has not become what I want it to be. It will get there, just hasn't yet. One of the things I wanted to explain is the difference between a diet and the journey I'm on.
First, a diet has the purpose of weight loss. Period. The goal is for the numbers on the scale to go down. That's it. That's the point of a diet.
That is why people use extreme things like less than a 1000 calories a day or vomiting or weight loss pills or weight loss surgery. Now, let me say here and now I am not criticizing those who use weight loss surgery, but I will say that very few people I know who use it actually keep the weight off because the problem isn't the size of the stomach but the size of the pain they are trying to feed.
Because the goal is weight loss, people use tools (like food deprivation, exercise, and calorie limits) to make that number change, and when they reach their happy number, they no longer need the tools, and the weight starts going back on again.
That is dieting in a nutshell.
That was never my purpose. A number on a scale was never my goal.
I didn't build a 300+ sq ft covered deck in order to lose weight.
I didn't renovate a house in order to lose weight.
I didn't work with a trainer for over a month in order to lose weight.
I don't walk 3-4 1/2 miles a day to lose weight.
I lost weight because I did those things.
My muscles toned because I did those things.
My clothes got too big because I did those things.
My weight loss has been a result of doing what I love and wanted to do, not the other way around.
I built the deck because we have no shade here, and I've wanted a deck since we moved. Finally, last summer I had a friend who could give me a few days help and carried 60 lb bags of cement for me, and I built the deck I wanted to build.
Last fall I had a situation where I needed to renovate a house to rent it out. I hired folks to do a lot of the work, but I ended up building fence, moving truck loads of landscape stone (big ones, by hand), digging stuff out, tearing things down and rebuilding, and so on.
In the process of those two projects, part of my heart was restored. Part of me I had made small so I could try to fit in some absurd box people shoved at me so I could be acceptable and not intimidating.
I remembered that I love being outside.
I love building things.
I love moving heavy things.
I love being strong.
I love feeling athletic.
I love the mental satisfaction that comes from hard physical work.
I loved the muscle tone I saw in my legs and arms.
I loved how my body was changing.
And for the first time in nearly 20 years I could see myself as the person I physically want to be.
I could see myself as the person climbing the climbing wall at the rec center.
I could see myself hiking miles in state and national parks.
I could see myself doing 5Ks again.
So I called Adam, told him my goals, and we worked together to develop a structured program to implement once the projects were done.
My physical goals included:
Be stronger than I've ever been by the time I'm 50. BTW, before I got pneumonia, I was chest pressing 70 pounds, the most I've ever done.
Walking 5Ks. Now my goal is a 10K, and I am eyeing a half marathon.
Climb the climbing wall at the rec center.
Be one helluva hot MILF. I know some will find those words and that term offensive. I'm not trying to be offensive. Just keeping it real as a woman and human. We like to feel attractive. Plus, I plan to remarry one day, and I want my husband fantasizing about my body, thank you very much.
I want to wear size 12 jeans because it is an easy size to find.
There. My one number in all that is the jeans, not because it is a magic number but because I want to enjoy shopping and finding something in my size.
Then there were the goals we didn't discuss because he couldn't help me with them anyway. My non-physical goals:
Find activities that make me happy and fed my soul instead of taking the easy way out and eating something.
Find activities that feed my mind so I don't boredom eat.
Take responsibility for enjoying life.
Take responsibility for engaging in life.
Actively create a life I love being part of.
See, none of this was about a diet. Yeah, I wanted to lose weight, but that is a result of doing what I love, not the driving purpose of what I do.
Let me give you a clear example of the difference in how this looks in real life.
A friend of mine at church last night asked me if I am still losing weight. I stared at her like she had two heads, not because of the question really but because I didn't know how to answer it, and she clarified, "Are you still walking?" Oh, yeah. I'm still walking.
But here is what I stared:
In the last three weeks, I've lost 1.5 pounds. In the "weight loss" community, that really isn't good results. However, in that same three week time frame, I have gone from not being able to get my "carrot jeans" on to being able to get them on, zip, and button them. Now I can't squat down in them. I can't sit in them. Motion is pretty none existent, but I didn't have to lie on the floor like Julie Roberts' character in Eat, Pray, Love, so yes, my body is changing even if the number on my scale isn't.
THAT is the difference between a diet and a lifestyle.
I'm not on a diet.
I'm actively creating a life I love.
Showing posts with label My Fitness Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Fitness Journey. Show all posts
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Monday, July 31, 2017
My Fitness Journey: On the Road Again
Hey, y'all! I feel like it has been forever since I told you my hateful scales told me I had gained three pounds in less than 48 hours. Lying little bugger. Truthfully, it hasn't been forever, only three weeks, and a few folks thought the silence is because my mouth was full of food. Actually, no.
The big question I was asked is if I am "sticking with it".
I know. What those folks were asking is if I am sticking with my diet despite these discouraging setbacks.
Well, I tried to make it clear with my first post I'm not on a diet. As the title says on each post, this is my FITNESS JOURNEY. This isn't about getting skinny or seeing a number on a scale. This is about a lifestyle I want back. So, yes, I am sticking with that.
As for where I have been, the three pound manic moment with my scale had nothing to do with it. What happened was five days later I injured my arm and couldn't use it. Like not to lift weights or feed myself or type. Thankfully, I found Maren, a great massage therapist (answer to prayer), and between her and prayers, my arm is functional again, although tender at times. That was the first week of silence.
Week two was caused when I was using a push mower to get some of my backyard under control while my tractor mower is being fixed, and the handle ended up hitting right above my kneecap and popping it backward...twice. Thankfully, the muscles ended up bruised, but no major damage was done. Still, it took over week of healing before I could walk Semper a mile without it becoming so swollen and painful I couldn't sleep. Then it was another few days before I could actually walk Semper without it swelling or getting stiff at all.
So that is three weeks of virtually no workouts, and honestly, if my whole goal was about seeing a number get smaller, I would be going insane sitting on my behind. However, in the big scheme of a fit lifestyle, being healthy means fitness, so the three weeks of my body doing its thing is still part of the program.
Granted, during those three weeks I didn't lose weight, but I didn't gain either, so I'm good. It means maintenance is solid despite eating stuff I really enjoy but isn't "healthy". That is good to know.
Today I was back on the road, except I only walked three miles, not the normal four. Again, no big deal. I'll keep this distance a few days, see how my knee is handling it, and increase the distance. The same is true for weights. I'm going to drop down about 10%-15% and let my body reacclimatize to the demands and add a little at a time.
To me, a fitness journey means I realize life happens. Injuries happen. Sickness happens. I don't let those things discourage me. Some folks call them 'setbacks'. I don't. It's just life. So I role with it and keep going.
Now, I will also tell you I am not going to be the size I had hoped to be when I start college next month. I've had to adjust some expectations, but that isn't defeat in my mind. It's just adjusting. I will still get there because I still love walking and being in the gym and working in my yard and...living this life, which is really what this journey is about. It's about having a life I love, so yea, I'm sticking with it. :-)
Stay on the journey...even when it feels like an uphill climb. :-)
Jerri
The big question I was asked is if I am "sticking with it".
I know. What those folks were asking is if I am sticking with my diet despite these discouraging setbacks.
Well, I tried to make it clear with my first post I'm not on a diet. As the title says on each post, this is my FITNESS JOURNEY. This isn't about getting skinny or seeing a number on a scale. This is about a lifestyle I want back. So, yes, I am sticking with that.
As for where I have been, the three pound manic moment with my scale had nothing to do with it. What happened was five days later I injured my arm and couldn't use it. Like not to lift weights or feed myself or type. Thankfully, I found Maren, a great massage therapist (answer to prayer), and between her and prayers, my arm is functional again, although tender at times. That was the first week of silence.
Week two was caused when I was using a push mower to get some of my backyard under control while my tractor mower is being fixed, and the handle ended up hitting right above my kneecap and popping it backward...twice. Thankfully, the muscles ended up bruised, but no major damage was done. Still, it took over week of healing before I could walk Semper a mile without it becoming so swollen and painful I couldn't sleep. Then it was another few days before I could actually walk Semper without it swelling or getting stiff at all.
So that is three weeks of virtually no workouts, and honestly, if my whole goal was about seeing a number get smaller, I would be going insane sitting on my behind. However, in the big scheme of a fit lifestyle, being healthy means fitness, so the three weeks of my body doing its thing is still part of the program.
Granted, during those three weeks I didn't lose weight, but I didn't gain either, so I'm good. It means maintenance is solid despite eating stuff I really enjoy but isn't "healthy". That is good to know.
Today I was back on the road, except I only walked three miles, not the normal four. Again, no big deal. I'll keep this distance a few days, see how my knee is handling it, and increase the distance. The same is true for weights. I'm going to drop down about 10%-15% and let my body reacclimatize to the demands and add a little at a time.
To me, a fitness journey means I realize life happens. Injuries happen. Sickness happens. I don't let those things discourage me. Some folks call them 'setbacks'. I don't. It's just life. So I role with it and keep going.
Now, I will also tell you I am not going to be the size I had hoped to be when I start college next month. I've had to adjust some expectations, but that isn't defeat in my mind. It's just adjusting. I will still get there because I still love walking and being in the gym and working in my yard and...living this life, which is really what this journey is about. It's about having a life I love, so yea, I'm sticking with it. :-)
Stay on the journey...even when it feels like an uphill climb. :-)
Jerri
Friday, July 14, 2017
My Fitness Journey: Gym Day
I am venturing into the world of vlogging. This is my second video. The first one got erased because I didn't think you would like the neck cramp that came with keeping your head tilted at a 90 degree angle to watch it. (sigh....) Between us, I'm nervous. This is new, and...well, I don't want to make a fool of myself, BUT, I'm going to put this up here for two reasons:
1. We all have those low motivation days when there are a million other things we want to do, and
2. Being afraid of looking foolish is one of the top reasons people don't do amazing things or things they have always wanted to do or just trying something different. I'm learning to embrace the possibility of looking foolish because you know what? I have never died from looking foolish, and, it just might turn out that I end up doing something amazing.
Stay on the journey!
Jerri
1. We all have those low motivation days when there are a million other things we want to do, and
2. Being afraid of looking foolish is one of the top reasons people don't do amazing things or things they have always wanted to do or just trying something different. I'm learning to embrace the possibility of looking foolish because you know what? I have never died from looking foolish, and, it just might turn out that I end up doing something amazing.
Stay on the journey!
Jerri
Special thanks to my favorite WonderGirl who helped me navigate YouTube and create my own channel. What would this mommy blogger do without you?!
Monday, July 3, 2017
My Fitness Journey: A 3-pound Weight Gain in 2 days??!! What??!!!
This morning is Monday, and I weighed, and before I ever stepped on the scale, I could feel it.
My hands are swollen. My face is swollen. My feet are swollen. Gonna be fun pushing them into my walking shoes in about 10 minutes.
So I knew the scale was not going to be my friend today. Sure enough. I weigh three pounds more than I did Friday. Now this is where a lot of people get really frustrated and quit because they've been depriving themselves of food for however long, they've been working their bums off, and now the scale turns on them. So, why bother?
Here is why.
First of all, a person's weight can fluctuate as much as 5 pounds on any given day.
That means I could still weigh what I did two days ago but hormones, the weather, salt, and other things can cause my body to retain water. It could have been that my 3 pound weight loss last week was aided by some dehydration when I was on the scale, so it showed I weighed a bit less than I really did. It could also mean my body is still processing the delicious food I ate late last night.
The point is there are lots of things that can cause my weight to bounce around, so I'm not going to freak out because I'm puffy today.
Second, I trust my plan.
I have been doing all the right things. I walked 4 miles a day five days last week. I was in the gym. I kayaked. I worked in the yard. I scrubbed the house. I was active burning calories, and I have been under my calorie target everyday. Everything I'm doing should be leading to weight loss, so I am going to trust that it is. I am going to stick with the plan, trust this is a hiccup, and squeeze my puffy feet into my shoes and go walk another four miles.
Now, let's talk about the reality of my eating the last two days.
Yesterday I attended a graduation party, and it was so much fun! I ate coleslaw and BBQ and potato salad and a roll and a piece of cake and chips. Right now some of y'all are thinking that explains my three pounds. No, it doesn't. Each pound is 3,500 calories. I promise you my southern comfort meal was not 10,000+ calories. Not to mention I spent a lot of the time there on my feet walking around and helped clean up after the party, so I burned some calories, too. But, there was a lot of salt involved, and salt makes me puffy. I drank regular Dr. Pepper, and it always makes me puffy. Sometimes it makes it so I can't wear any of my rings which are usually slightly large on me.
So do I think what I ate yesterday contributed to my weight? Yes, but not for the reason a lot of people think. I am not "fatter" today because of what I ate. I am puffier because of what I ate, and that comes off pretty quickly if I go back to less salty food choices.
Now, other factor I have to consider is the humidity right now. We have storms in the area. The sky is thick with grey clouds, and the humidity is 80%. I am going to gain weight. Years ago my late husband and I would make trips to see family in Louisiana. It was guaranteed I would gain 5 pounds while I was there, and within 2 days of being home, I would be back to normal. When this front is past, I will drop a few pounds within 24-hours, so I'm not worried.
Finally, do I feel bad about yesterday's glorious indulgence? Not remotely.
My trainer and I have an agreement. Whatever changes I made has to be sustainable for the rest of my life. The simple fact is if I am going to a party, I'm going to eat the party food. If I go on vacation, I'm going to eat vacation food. The honest fact is I may not lose as much that week or any at all, and on vacation, I may gain some. I'm okay with that. It just means I need to step back into good choices when I get home, put in a bit more cardio work, and know I can make a chance and am not a victim to vacation or party or wedding or...This is real life. I am going to have a real life. And sometimes real life means really weird weight swings. Just is what it is, and I'm not worried about it.
I hope your Monday is great! God bless you on your journey to accomplish your goals!
Enjoy the journey!
Jerri
My hands are swollen. My face is swollen. My feet are swollen. Gonna be fun pushing them into my walking shoes in about 10 minutes.
So I knew the scale was not going to be my friend today. Sure enough. I weigh three pounds more than I did Friday. Now this is where a lot of people get really frustrated and quit because they've been depriving themselves of food for however long, they've been working their bums off, and now the scale turns on them. So, why bother?
Here is why.
First of all, a person's weight can fluctuate as much as 5 pounds on any given day.
That means I could still weigh what I did two days ago but hormones, the weather, salt, and other things can cause my body to retain water. It could have been that my 3 pound weight loss last week was aided by some dehydration when I was on the scale, so it showed I weighed a bit less than I really did. It could also mean my body is still processing the delicious food I ate late last night.
The point is there are lots of things that can cause my weight to bounce around, so I'm not going to freak out because I'm puffy today.
Second, I trust my plan.
I have been doing all the right things. I walked 4 miles a day five days last week. I was in the gym. I kayaked. I worked in the yard. I scrubbed the house. I was active burning calories, and I have been under my calorie target everyday. Everything I'm doing should be leading to weight loss, so I am going to trust that it is. I am going to stick with the plan, trust this is a hiccup, and squeeze my puffy feet into my shoes and go walk another four miles.
Now, let's talk about the reality of my eating the last two days.
Yesterday I attended a graduation party, and it was so much fun! I ate coleslaw and BBQ and potato salad and a roll and a piece of cake and chips. Right now some of y'all are thinking that explains my three pounds. No, it doesn't. Each pound is 3,500 calories. I promise you my southern comfort meal was not 10,000+ calories. Not to mention I spent a lot of the time there on my feet walking around and helped clean up after the party, so I burned some calories, too. But, there was a lot of salt involved, and salt makes me puffy. I drank regular Dr. Pepper, and it always makes me puffy. Sometimes it makes it so I can't wear any of my rings which are usually slightly large on me.
So do I think what I ate yesterday contributed to my weight? Yes, but not for the reason a lot of people think. I am not "fatter" today because of what I ate. I am puffier because of what I ate, and that comes off pretty quickly if I go back to less salty food choices.
Now, other factor I have to consider is the humidity right now. We have storms in the area. The sky is thick with grey clouds, and the humidity is 80%. I am going to gain weight. Years ago my late husband and I would make trips to see family in Louisiana. It was guaranteed I would gain 5 pounds while I was there, and within 2 days of being home, I would be back to normal. When this front is past, I will drop a few pounds within 24-hours, so I'm not worried.
Finally, do I feel bad about yesterday's glorious indulgence? Not remotely.
My trainer and I have an agreement. Whatever changes I made has to be sustainable for the rest of my life. The simple fact is if I am going to a party, I'm going to eat the party food. If I go on vacation, I'm going to eat vacation food. The honest fact is I may not lose as much that week or any at all, and on vacation, I may gain some. I'm okay with that. It just means I need to step back into good choices when I get home, put in a bit more cardio work, and know I can make a chance and am not a victim to vacation or party or wedding or...This is real life. I am going to have a real life. And sometimes real life means really weird weight swings. Just is what it is, and I'm not worried about it.
I hope your Monday is great! God bless you on your journey to accomplish your goals!
Enjoy the journey!
Jerri
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