We all know it's that time of the year when everyone makes a list of obstacles they want to get rid of or start a fresh and, half way through the month we flat line and go right back to our old habits. I'm not a fan of new resolutions, so if that is what you need to get started, I am not gonna knock it, do you boo lol.
Anyway, let us not stray. The Point of this post revolves around my fitness journey. My health and I have been on a love-hate ride over the past, Hmmm… call it ten years. I went through the New years' resolution phase, the summer body phase, the “I hate myself. You're ugly” phase and even the start from winter phase. They all worked for a while. Some I wasn't consistent with, and others were damaging to my body and mental health.
I was always a big girl and so, I thought I would never be able to lose weight until I really took an interest in social media and use it for the right reasons. I saw a lot of transformations, and I am in awe of what determination and consistency can do, they are my daily stimulus to get my shit together.
As I have stated before some of the “Phases” I went through did work and so for the last two years I have done a lot of research and figured out what works for me. Thanks to YouTube and Google my understanding about a lot of things has changed.
Some of the problems I faced in the past were:
- BAD DIETING
- INCONSISTENT EXERCISE REGIME
- SELF HATE
Bad Dieting
OMG! I know a lot of you been through that stage or going through it. My diet consisted of me eating healthy and expecting to lose weight. Now, let me clear that up. When I say healthy, I mean healthy carbs such as yams, green bananas, potatoes, brown rice, oats, etc. What I failed to do was add more vegetables and protein to the table. I was packing up on carbs and working out just enough. I wasn't losing weight, but I was maintaining the hell out of it. Another thing I realized in the past year is that you have to listen to your body. What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. I found out that I can't digest wheat properly, such as Brown rice, bulgur, and oats. In addition, oranges and bananas affect my sinus and give me a horrible migraine throughout the day.
Now, I don't avoid them all together but limit how often I consume them and change-up the size as well. For example, I normally eat a banana as a Pre-workout snack and during my workout, I suffer from migraines, which is a big turn off. So, what I did was replace it with oats or yogurt. The oats doesn't bother me as much because I am eating a small amount, and I'm going to burn it off anyway.
If you are really serious about this, get a diary and write what you ate during the day to keep track of how your system digests foods and how it affects you on a whole.
I have decided not to follow any diet or lifestyle in specific, but pick from various avenues and tailor it to my needs.
Example:
Intermittent Fasting (no, it's not a diet), but it works. I started it a couple of months ago not for weight loss, but for mental clarity and a mini detox. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them. There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day or week into eating periods and fasting periods.
The method I use is the 16/8 method, which involves me fasting every day for 14-16 hours, and restricting my daily “eating window” to 8-10 hours. In other words, I will start eating at 12/1 pm and have my last meal for the day around 8/ 9 pm. Within that window, I consume my daily calorie, which would be around 1600. I did it for a month and found that it not only helped with my mental clarity but also made me lose weight!!! In my book, that's a plus.
Healthy Fats/ Omega-3 fatty acids. I realized the more I ate healthy fats with my food the quicker it would digest. Healthy fats include flaxseed, pear (avocado), hemp seed oil, coconut oil, nuts, etc.
Rasta Lifestyle. Lol, I developed somewhat of Rastafarian mindset when it came to food. I ate mostly organic foods and stews, lots of stews, red peas, lentils, chickpeas, fresh seasoning (onion, scallion, garlic, turmeric) etc. I am not a vegetarian, but I find that giving my body a break from meat does help my digestion resulting in weight-loss.
Portion size. This is another thing that I've mixed up. Since I am doing the intermittent fasting, I basically have an eight-hour window to consume my daily calories. So my portions vary, it's all dependent on what I am eating that day. If it's a salad, I would eat a large one, soup bowl style :D.
Water is Life!! Do I need to elaborate on this? All I will say is water is an important part of all body functions and processes, including digestion and elimination. When you're on a diet, water also acts as a weight-loss aid because it can help you eat less. "Drinking water is important for weight loss because it provides hydration without unwanted calories.
Cheat days are for real. My cheat day is on the weekend. This doesn't mean I pig out and act like a kid who's after being grounded for a week can go outside and play -_- Nah!! You still need to control what you are eating. Eat your cake, burger king, pizza, etc. just not in one day. Avoid empty calories like soda. Just Don't over do it!!
You can follow the 90/10 rule, meaning 90 percent of your weekly meal plan should focus solely on healthy food, while the remaining 10 percent goes to your cheat meals. For example, if you’re following a meal plan that allows five smaller meals throughout the day, then you will be consuming 35 meals a week. By following the 90/10 rule, you can devote three to four meals a week to indulging your sweet tooth.
Exercise
Well... Let us just say, "the love-hate" that comes with my health journey stems mostly from exercise. You know those households where the child can't relate to that parent, always arguing or that one parent that acts like the bad cop. That's exercise for me, The judge in the household, it means well, but loves to give you the bitter medicine and say it's for your own good.
I can't speak about exercise and not tie it with consistency. I have a problem, I. GET. BORED. EASILY, I will try everything in the book that I think will give me a quick fix, or I expect to see overnight progress because I'm impatient. I had to learn the hard way that losing weight takes time; it takes determination, hard work, and CONSISTENCY.
The types of work I do is the HIIT type workout (High-Intensity Interval Training). High-intensity interval training describes any workout that alternates between intense bursts of activity and fixed periods of less-intense activity or even complete rest. For example, running as fast as you can for 1 minute and then walking for 2 minutes. Repeat that 3-minute interval five times for a 15-minute workout. You can do this at Home or the gym. I consider it more effective in burning fat quickly. Another Thing I try to do is be more active outside of my scheduled workout. Instead of asking someone to get something for you, get it yourself, Make cleaning your house fun, don't just listen to music dance to it as well. Do some squats in your chair at work, it's 2017 the year of I don't care if you think I'm crazy, lol.
Self Hate
I can't stress enough how much loving yourself is important. Self-love starts from you and by extension your friends and family. If your family is part of the problem, drop them. Yes... Yes, I said it. You don't need negativity in your life. Talk to them, tell them what they are doing is affecting you (whether big or small), what happens after that decides whether they stay or go. When you are trying to lose weight or commit to a healthy lifestyle a support system is highly recommended. Loving yourself first will determine the shelf life of your goal. When you start loving yourself, you will look at life differently. You won't call yourself a pig, etc. But instead, you will be saying I am beautiful, I am gonna be the best version of me, physically and mentally. Changing your mindset to a more positive one will make your journey more enjoyable and less burdensome.
In conclusion, the key to unlocking my weight-loss struggles will be consistency and accountability. I make excuses for not doing something because, deep down, inside; it's too hard and time-consuming. Get rid of bad dieting, exercise consistently and effectively, and most of all your love yourself. Don't be afraid to mix things up to suit your lifestyle. Follow these steps and I am sure you will be on your way to a healthy you.
Good Luck!