This post turned out longer than I had initially intended, whoops!
TL:DR I’ve been focused on building small sustainable habit changes to facilitate better health and weight loss. It feels great to see the small changes building, and I’ve got 5lbs weight loss to show for it!
—————- Hi all, this is my first post! I’ve been lurking for a few weeks and finally am excited to share a SV that I’m down 5lbs!
What I’m even more proud of, though, is my 39 day streak of (tracked) work outs. I shared a pic of my workout tracker on my profile feed. Technically I started getting on my stationary bike daily at the end of April, but I used May 1st to start keeping track in a physical journal.
I then started CICO tracking on MFP mid-May, and that’s really when I started earnestly working on losing weight.
I’m excited for this go round of weight loss because I feel so much more intentional with my habit building. I want to lose the weight, yes, but my bigger picture goals are to get my blood pressure under control and build healthy habits to facilitate a more enjoyable and more functional old age. I’m looking at 40 next year, and my spouse and I joke too much about how “old” we’re getting and how much our bodies are “falling apart”. If this is how I feel at the end of my 30s, I am dreading my 50s, 60s and beyond. My overall health is my biggest motivating factor this time, and now that I’ve proven to myself that I can build a daily cardio habit, I’m super excited to see how far I can go!
One thing that has been so helpful to me in this new mindset is the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. A friend recommended it after I commented on their recently noticeable weight loss. I’m a Malcom Gladwell and Freakonomics fan, so I thought I already had a decent handle on habit building, even though I never seemed able to actually apply it to myself. The Atomic Habits book has been a game changer though. It gave me new perspective on how to start the process of making new habits, and for the first time ever I have this sense of “I can do this” with regards to becoming a person who has a daily cardio exercise routine.
That has carried over to changing my diet. Over the past month my spouse and I have started shifting to a more “Mediterranean Style Diet” with more plant-based meals, whole grains instead of simple carbs, less red meat and more fish. The same way that I made getting on my bike an easier choice by moving it into a room I’m in all the time, we’re building default meal options to be healthier meal options. From there it’s just been a matter of portion/calorie control on my part.
I know this honeymoon period of excitement won’t last forever, and there will be harder days motivation wise, but I’m celebrating the high right now!
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