Therefore, I am guessing that I am smaller.
I can say that I feel a little smaller, but nothing drastic. Like my pants aren't falling off of my body yet, but I have a little extra room. I don't have a six pack, but my lower pooch is looking a bit flatter. Kind of exciting! Almost giving me enough courage to post some pictures of myself...but not yet (sorry!)
I doubled up on my training sessions last week with Reggie, and in the last session, he really sat me down to talk since I was still a little down about my lack of progress. He said something that stuck with me. Besides confirming that I am beautiful to him (***blushing***), he said that when you are in the gym there will always be somebody whose goal is to just look like you. That's it. So while I am lusting after another woman running on the treadmill next to me, the woman behind me on the elliptical could be praying to look like me. That really put it into prospective a bit. As women, we are rarely ever 100% happy with the way we look because we strive for perfection. In school, work, at the gym,emotionally, and physically. We are always trying to be our best selves at all times, and when something like the way we look stumbles into the forefront, it can really tear apart.
Reggie also said something, for the 100th time, that is finally starting to sink in. I need to learn to eat food for nutritious reasons rather than for flavor. Food is meant to nourish your body and the good stuff isn't always going to taste amazing. I stress to him often that I am trying to build a healthy lifestyle, not a "get skinny quick" plan because I know my heart will break if I get skinny for the wedding and then blow up a month later when I eat a piece of bread for the first time. That is part of the reason that I decided to aim to keep my net carbs under 75g each day instead of eliminating them completely.
This has actually been fairly easy. I am able to stay around 50 - 60g actually. My body is slowly starting to crave fresher foods as well. My MFP friend Chasidy always says that your body will begin to crave what is already inside. So if you eat healthy, you will crave healthy. I'm seeing this and believing this concept.
Are any of you trying a low carb diet that is really working for you?
I know how you feel. I have moments where I get down on myself for not moving faster with my progress but I have to remember to celebrate every accomplishment because it brought me closer to my goal. I also thank God for the ability to move my body and exercise because I know many can't. I think if you come from a positive place and learn to love what you see and just focus on being healthy then one day you will wake up and be where you want to be. :)
ReplyDeleteI really do hope for that. :)
ReplyDeleteI think 8 pounds is good progress. That's 1.5 pounds per week! You can see the difference in pictures - you look slimmer. It can be hard to see the changes when you look at yourself everyday - you grow accustom to the small progress you make each day. Just keep pushing!
ReplyDeleteAre you keeping tracking of your inches lost?
What you eat will really make a bigger impact on your progress! (Most women) We can at best burn 300 to 700 calories a day through exercise. But, we eat anywhere from 1200 to 2000 calories a day. One good thing my dietitian shared with me a few years ago when I was struggling with adding more veggies to my diet was that it's not always about what you want - it's what your body needs. It really clicked with me? I do things everyday in other fronts that may not be what I want (say going to work early on Monday Morning) but it is what I need to do...
I disagree that the things that are nutrious can't be good tasting too! I just think you'll have to figure what you find the best tasting. For example, I hate brocolli (always have)...But, I learned to love zuchhini and squash. I used to eat yogurt regularly - ususally yoplait but I switched to greek yogurt (more protein and all natural ingredients) last year - I tried several kinds before I found something I liked. I prefer chiobani but there are other brands that someone else may prefer.
Also,I don't believe in diet supplements. They are expensive and can be dangerous...often they just don't work. I do think you should make sure you are getting in all your vitamins - especially vitamin d, calcium, and omega3.
Lastly, I totally agree with you trying to figure out how to make this a life style! Figuring out what you will and won't do so you can keep up the weight loss!