Fitness is a Journey, Not a Destination…
When I started my blog at retroactiv.com this past January, I launched what I felt was a clever tag line that summarized my experience with weight loss. "Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Start your journey today. Tomorrow is just an excuse." Pretty clever, huh. :)
I truly believe it to be true. It stemmed from the fact that I had heard so many people talk about how they were losing weight and on "diets". The word "diet" insinuates that its a temporary change that one is going through, that will have a finite end. This is simply not the case. Deciding to get in shape is a LIFESTYLE change. You must change everything from what you put into your body to how much physical activity you do on a daily basis - and continue to do so once you reach your goals.
This brings me to the point of this post. As I sit and reminis about all the struggles I endured while on my weight loss journey, I have come to realize that there is a much harder journey ahead: maintenance. Now that I have reached my goals, I have found that making the right choices can even be more difficult. Part of it is that now that I am "skinny", people think I should be able to eat whatever I want (which is how I got to be obese in the first place). "Want to go to the buffet today?" Of course I do - but not twice a week. "You only had one piece of pizza? Whats wrong skinny?" WTF. I am not that hungry. Damn. Yes I still count calories, and I am NEVER going to stop. I also still wear my heart rate monitor - even when shoveling snow or cutting the grass. Get over it.
The maintenance has been the most difficult part of the journey for me. I read a great post about feeling "guilty" about eating too much or skipping going to the gym the other day, and I must say that I completely feel the same way as Jon does. It's not that I am afraid to gain the weight back (ok, maybe a am a little), but now that I know what it took to lose it, I will NEVER let myself slip up again.
The point? While on your journey, realize that you will need to push yourself just as hard to maintain your "new self" as you did when you were trying to reach your goal. Not only will that help you manage your cravings and expectations, but it will ensure that you will never end up gaining all the weight back that you worked so hard to lose. Fitness is a journey, not a destination.
I Have Let Myself Down…
If I could separate me from myself, I'd stay away from me.
All this talk about getting into shape. All this work over the past 3 years. All the blog posts. All the tweets. All the Facebook posts. They all mean a little less right now. I have tried so hard to live better, to BE better.
Here I sit. Feeling horrible. I haven't worked out in what feels like forever. I have been eating like shit. I am NOT the person I pushed myself to become. I am depressed. I am sad. The worst part is - I am not really sure why.
Maybe it's time that I refocus on me and why I started this. Maybe it's time that I put down the snacks and hit the treadmill again. While it's true that I am tired from working so much lately, it's no excuse.
I can do this. I can do better. I can get back on track. I NEED to get back on track. I WANT to get back on track.
Screw you 8.8lbs. I am coming for you.
Hungry? Want to feel full? Try an Apple…
Though I was never a huge fan of apples as a child, I have come to love them. The reason - they are a healthy, portable treat, and they will fill you up. How you ask? Read on...
I have mentioned before that drinking a glass of water 10 mins before you eat can help you with your portion control. Some of you have mentioned that you have tried this and it has helped you to eat less - which is AWESOME. However, I have a secret tip for you so amazing - that you will love me forever.
The next time you are between meals and start getting hungry, or want a low calorie healthy breakfast, eat an apple with your tall glass of water. See, the apple is an awesome fruit because it expands when wet. A-ha you say! By eating an apple with a glass of water, you are letting the apple expand in your stomach, and therefore will feel much more full than with water alone.
Do you have a tip you would like to share? Post yours in the comments....
Hungry or Thirsty? THAT is the Question…
Drink Me.
I have read a lot about people who say that they are hungry all the time and can't stop eating, but chances are you aren't truly hungry, you are thirsty.
Have you ever said these words, "I'm hungry!"?
I'm going to bet 100 percent of us have uttered those words, and probably most of us said it today! The deal is, though — are you really?
How do you know when you're truly hungry?
That's an excellent question, because so many of us really don't know. We don't understand the difference between hunger, thirst and sometimes, recreational eating for the sake of eating. Why is this?
Then & Now
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Most Popular Posts
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The Others
- A Life Changing Journey Runner. Triple digit weight loss success story. Motivator. Life changer.
- Adapting to Going Blind Follow Simon on his quest to become an ultra-marathon runner. Did I mention he is blind?
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- Fat Girl vs. World One woman’s journey through life and her struggle for her body.
- Jack Sh*t If you think losing weight is impossible, you don’t know Jack Sh*t.
- No More Bacon One Dudes journey to cutting the excess fat… from everything.
- Responsibility 199 Responsibility 199 is a belief that to be healthy I need to weigh 199 pounds or less…
- Running on Awesome Little bit of weight loss, little bit of running, a whole lot of awesome!
- Starting at 500 Pounds At maximum capacity I weighed 524 pounds! Follow the journey as I climb my personal Mount Everest by losing the weight.
Helpful Resources
- Detour Bars The best protein bars on the planet!
- Lose It! The calorie counting app that changed my life.
- New Balance The ONLY shoes I will ever buy.
- Ntense Workout The best gym in Northeast Ohio. Period.
- RunKeeper I never enjoyed running until I started using this app.