I have sat on this website for so long that I daren’t even think about it.
I have a head full of ideas but no motivation to put them into practice.
For some reason this morning I have energy, focus, and a clear head and I’m taking full advantage. Will I get the website live today? Absolutely not. But will it be another little step in the right direction? Damn right.
Maybe I’m finally learning patience. Knowing that some things don’t just happen overnight. They require consistent effort. Patience just isn’t something I’m blessed with. I mean… I actually used to hold off posting my camera films back in the day, because I couldn’t cope with waiting for the photos to come back. It’s like, while the films were with me I knew I wouldn’t get the photos, but the moment they were sent off THEN I was in waiting mode, and I hated it. (I do realise how ridiculous that is!).
But it’s a bit of a lightbulb moment for me because this is what I’m like with fat loss too. I’ve spent years starting a diet, going hell for leather at it, but getting despondent when two or three weeks later I’m not thin already. Like wtf?! If I eat healthy and go for a walk surely I deserve at least 2lbs off that day, right?!
Anyhoo. It would seem my years of working on undieting my mindset, fixing my relationship with food and learning more about fat loss, strength, health etc, is finally sinking in.
I began this year with a simple approach, designed by me, for me. Knowing my personality, and what makes me tick. Everyone is different and what works for one won’t work for another, but I’m pretty happy with what I’ve come up with.
Here it is…
Basic daily and weekly goals
These are there to feed my need for short-term dopamine. To keep my eyes on the prize. I lose interest quickly and, as we’ve established, am not the most patient person in the world.
Daily goals:
Calorie deficit (1800 cals)
Steps (5000 steps)
Weekly goals:
Booze free 6 days a week
Strength workouts 3 days per week
Flexibility
I’m a girl that needs flexibility so I adopt the following ‘house rules’…
- Calories and steps are averaged over the week so that some days can be higher or lower and that’s ok.
- I don’t have set days to workout, I do that according to what I have going on that week, and my energy levels.
Tracking
When I first stopped dieting I found tracking triggering. It made me feel restricted and, quite honestly, a bit cross! These days though I can see tracking for what it is. Data.
Knowledge is power, and by keeping track of my steps and calories (accurately!) I am staying informed about what I’m doing so that I can adjust accordingly if I’m not seeing results.
I am SUPER strict about tracking. I wear an Apple watch for activity so that’s all sorted. But with calories, I use the Nutracheck app (has amazing functionality, and the foods in there are verified so you know you’re adding the right cals), and I log every little thing that I eat/drink. It gets easier over time as you’re able to estimate quantities etc., but on the whole, it’s no biggy to just chuck foods on the kitchen scales and it’s become a habit so it’s mostly what I do. I like to know I’m logging the right data so that I can tweak what I’m doing if needed.
Activity
Walking is brilliant exercise, so even if you can’t do anything else it doesn’t really matter. There are free walking workouts on YouTube (look at Get Fit with Rick and Leslie Sansone), so you can get steps in without even leaving the house. On top of that, being peri-menopausal, I also do some strength and mobility stuff. I stretch every morning when I get out of bed, and I do 3 workouts a week at home with body weight and dumbbells. Moving DEFINITELY helps me to not only feel better, but it keeps me motivated to nourish my body properly too.
Drinks
I have a giant 2l water bottle and I aim to drink that every day. I don’t always manage it, but usually I do. I enjoy a glass of wine so at the moment I’m having one night of the week where I’ll have an alcoholic drink too, and accept that drinking wine will give me the munchies that evening, make me sluggish, and move less the next day, and likely make the next day higher calories too. So I accept that and account for it.
Going out
If I’m going out for lunch or dinner or drinks or whatever, I’m gonna do what I wanna do. Sometimes I’m naturally drawn to something fresh and light, sometimes I want a hefty great burger and chips. I go with what I fancy and I don’t fret. Sometimes I track it, sometimes I don’t. Either way, I NEVER stress about having a good time. I do what I want to do, I enjoy it, and then it’s done. I don’t starve myself all day to go out for dinner, I won’t ruin the rest of the week because of it, I don’t feel like I need to crawl the calories back. I go, I eat and drink, I enjoy, and then it’s done.