I lost 50 pounds in 2019 using meal prepping, calorie counting, and working out at the gym and pandemic really screwed up my routine. Over the last 2 years I’ve been hitting highs and lows in trying to get back on track and failing. I had myself convinced I just had to do exactly what I was doing before to succeed but unfortunately, that’s just not possible and I ultimately needed to find a new way to succeed that worked with the current state of this pandemic.
So first and foremost- the gym. I’m still not comfortable going. I wouldn’t want to wear a mask while working out, and neither does anyone else. With the new variant right now I’m just not comfortable with that. I’ve tried a lot of home workouts (I have an exercise bike that I don’t like, tried a few workout videos, tried making HIIT routines) but nothing has really stuck for me until I found growwithjo on youtube. The thing I love most about her videos is she doesn’t talk. I find it annoying and distracting in workout videos when a stranger is saying things like “yeah you got this!” “Pump through it!” “10 more seconds, you’re doing great!” “Feel that sweat, breathe through it!” I’m just trying to workout and I just want to focus and listen to some tunes. She does this, she has intro but once the workout starts she literally does not talk, it’s just good music. Her routines are also really varied. I typically do her ab routines, but she has “dance workouts” that are still good workouts but feel more fun when I don’t really feel like doing it. I burn pretty close to the same amount of calories regardless of the kind of video I use. I definitely recommend her videos if you’re looking for a good home workout routine!
Next- I have redefined my relationship with junk food. In 2019 I pretty much eliminated junk food and sweets entirely. Occasionally, I’d grab a bag of chips or something from the gas station and it was a “cheat day,” I was vehemently against having ANY unhealthy food in my house period. Currently, I have bbq chips and a dark chocolate bar in my pantry. I lived under the impression that if they were around I couldn’t resist them but that actually hasn’t been the case. For the most part, I haven’t craved them. When I do crave them, I portion out a single serving of chips or a single square of chocolate (sometimes both together as an indulgent snack!) and even with both together it’s still only a 207 cal snack. This makes it pretty easy to work in when the craving hits, and since I do still keep healthy lower cal snacks around the house if my junk food snack leaves me hungry I’ll just have a healthy snack after to round off the hunger. Something else major I’ve noticed in doing this- last night I did I have chips and chocolate and I WAS still hungry after BUT I wasn’t craving anymore of it, I actually wanted some veggies and homemade ranch so I had around 100 cals of that and felt fully satisfied. I’ve realized this time around that it’s ok to eat bad things sometimes. That’s it’s easier and more sustainable for me to just make the food I want work in smaller portions rather than try and keep up a really strict “diet” and then ending up have a really high cal portion of those unhealthy things when I get to a point that I just can’t resist like before. It feels significantly less restrictive for me to just have a small amount when I want it, and it helps me overall stay on track. Junk food is no longer some forbidden villain that I can’t eat unless I’m “cheating,” it’s just something I don’t have often but can make work when I want to.
I dunno if this will help anyone, but these two things have absolutely been the tipping point of success for me so I wanted to share! For the first time in 2 years, I’ve stuck with losing weight again longer than I ever have, I feel good about it, I find it sustainable, and I don’t wake up feeling like it will be a challenge to meet my calorie goal or get a workout in. I genuinely feel good and like I’m on track.
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