Workin’ on my fitness – for real

I have been working on getting healthier and losing weight for so long. I’m talking years. And as of today, I have 20 more pounds to lose than I did back then, when I was struggling to lose 10 lbs. Inconsistency has been the order of the day…er… years. I’d get the nutrition right but then wouldn’t have time to go the gym. Or I’d get to the gym but was really busy socially and missed the nutrition component. It’s been a vicious cycle and every time I think “ok, this is it”… But it isn’t. Sound familiar?

I went through this before. I lost 35 lbs about 6-7 years ago. I was doing so well too. I had such discipline. I’ve been racking my brain trying to recollect the frame of mind I was in and why it was so natural and easy to be so disciplined. I’ve been trying to remember the details of my life back then. What was the same or different, to try and duplicate that this time around or at least learn from it and adapt it for today. What occurred to me was that:

• I was working long hours back then
• I didn’t workout at the gym at all
• I was very, very careful about what I ate and how much alcohol I consumed
• I didn’t eat red meat or pork
• I ran almost everyday on hilly, mountainous terrain for an hour minimum, rain or shine, in daylight or darkness
• In the winter, I snowboarded, snowshoed and cross-country skied regularly, almost every weekend
• I saw results immediately and that kept me motivated
• A chick’s metabolisms at 29-30 yrs old is different than at 35 yrs old

So now, fast forward to today, and after having analyzed my findings, I came up with this list that I keep close by (it’s on my laptop and on my Blackberry)

1. Stop hitting the snooze button: Just friggen GET UP and do it! Write it everywhere if you have to! Once I’m up and out of bed, I’m always happy I did. I have to keep reminding myself that.
2. Always measure portions, get a scale (got mine for $12, works perfectly well) and measuring cups.
3. Be aware how much sugar you consume and cut waaaaaay back. It’s in everything, it drives me nuts.
4. Educate yourself on metabolism and how your body works. Understanding how the body processes and metabolizes food and nutrients is essential when you are on this path. How the body loses weight then makes more sense. I picked up Jillian Michael’s Master Your Metabolism. I’m learning so much about how the crap we eat messes with our systems and why. A great source of information and advise on how to turn things around.
   

   Jillian Michaels: Master Your Metabolism

5. Write everything in a food journal. Choose a journal you actually like. My faves have always been Pocket Moleskines. They’re the perfect size and even have an inside pocket.
   

   Moleskine Notebooks

6. Cut out or print pictures that inspire you and use them wherever you think you might need some inspiration (I have a few in my iPod and food journal. I created a screensaver for my laptop that loops my inspiration pictures. This picture is the home screen on my Blackberry:

   

7. Create a check list of what you want to keep track of, print it and put it on the fridge, as a visual reminder, for motivation and for consistency. Mine follows P90X’s 13 week program, 6 workouts per week. The Extra means any additional physical activity accomplished beyond P90X and taking my dog Maya out for extended walks. I check the Food box if I feel I had a good day food-wise. I weigh myself every Sunday morning and indicate by how much my weight went up or down. At first I didn’t think this would help but it has. Even Peter takes a peak at it and comments on my progress. It looks like this:

Source: MelissaCT's nutrition and activity tracking sheet

So those are my tips. Are they helpful? I’m still in the process of absorbing a lot of information from research and trying different things. It’s a daily challenge. Especially since I live with someone who lives to eat and is so passionate about cooking and grilling… Sooo hard to resist sometimes.

Are you having difficulties too? How do you stay motivated? How do you stay disciplined? I’d love to know.