For a year, I watched every single bite of food that I put into my mouth and counted every annoying tiny calorie that passed my lips. I RARELY cheated and other than holidays pretty well stuck to the plan. It totally worked. I lost over 90 pounds watching what I eat, counting calories and working my tail off in the gym.
DECEMBER 31, 2013
DECEMBER 24, 2014
Most of you know this about my journey so far and I have been really proud of the work I have done. It has not been easy and I have to make the decision EACH and every day to do it. I pray a lot and often times just have to ask the good Lord to see me through.
Why am I telling you this? Because this Superhero most definitely has her kryptonite. My kryptonite is the same as almost EVERYONE else that has been on a journey like mine.
Food.
Oh yeah. Food. Food is the most difficult thing for me to handle. I can lift and ride and do whatever else in the gym all day long. But, in all honesty, the food is the worst. I have a total love hate relationship with it.
I have tried so many diets in my life. Obviously, I know I am not alone here. So many people have this issue. Weight Watchers, South Beach Diet, Atkins, the list goes on and on. Most of us have at least tried at least one of these at some point. The majority have done more than one. Some may have even had success, which is awesome! But, for the main population of dieters, the results only last so long. We fall back into old habits, or think that a week long binge on crap foods won't do anything to hurt our "diets". Not that I have EVER done anything like that, nope never! Of course we do, then the weight comes back on and we start again on what is that vicious circle of Yo-Yo-ing, not only on our body, but also on our minds!
When I started this journey last January, I tried VERY hard to make sure this was NOT a diet. This was a lifestyle change. I used the Calorie counting app from Lose It and creating that calorie deficit helped me. I could still eat some of the things that I enjoy, but it also helped me make better choices on the whole.
Fast-forward 17 months to today.
Today, I am struggling. I really do feel that I made a lifestyle change. For the most part, my relationship with food is better. It is not my immediate emotional fixer. I have turned to exercise for that which is obviously way better for me. However, I am still finding myself eating a lot more than I should, and the choices I am making are not the best. Although I am not emotionally eating like I used to, I still am finding much more enjoyment in the calorie intake than what the fit person inside of me wants to find. Thank goodness for the amount that I exercise! I would probably be in some trouble if it wasn't for the exercise!
Because I consider myself a Bodybuilder (even though I do not have the ripped muscles, although hopefully one day), I know that if someone is looking to build muscle, they need more calories and protein or the muscles do not build. Well, my muscles are growing, I know that much. The problem lies in the fact that I still have quite a bit of fat on top of these muscles. So, I started doing some research. I have been reading this book:
It has been very interesting. It is written by a champion bodybuilder who used to be a "fat" guy with strong muscles. Even though I hate that "f" word, I get his description. I usually refuse to use that word to describe myself, but in this case, I will. I am a "fat" girl with strong muscles. I do not want that anymore.
According to the book, it is almost impossible to both build muscle AND burn fat! What?!?!?! Mind blown! So, to lose fat, one must create a calorie deficit. To build muscle, you must have a calorie surplus. In other words, I have been trying to do both and driving myself crazy!! I am mad at myself because I am not losing fat, but am not building muscle either. I am at a stand-still. Feeling a little dumb right now. I will have to lose the fat first. Then I can build the muscle!! Light bulb!!
I am still working my way through the book and have a bit to go, but I am going to be implementing these changes starting Monday. That will be week 5 in my training program (Hard Body Training from T-Nation). I will have 6 weeks of HARD training in the weight room to go with this to see what happens. I am very excited about it. It doesn't really change my way of eating TOO much from the norm, but I will be increasing my protein intake and lowering my fat intake. The biggest change from my "watching my calorie count" norm is that I will be eating 40-50% of my calories in healthy (or as healthy as I can) carbs. I have thought I needed to severely limit my carbs for so long that I feel guilty any time I eat pasta or potatoes. Well Tom Venuto is telling me that carbs are necessary for my goals. OK, Tom, I am going to get past it because I am on board!
I made myself a good list of groceries with NATURAL carbs, lean proteins, and HEALTHY fats. I have a cabinet full of sweet potatoes, lentils (which I have never had before, so that should be interesting), and whole grain pastas. I have a freezer full of chicken breasts, fish, and lean meats. I really want to make this change, I want to be lean and ripped. I will take the fat off of me, and then build the muscles so I am a lean, mean, machine!
Blessings!
The Iron Stiletto
Just an addition here, I know that some people reading this might be coaches or consultants for different weight loss companies and I think that is great if that works for you. I really would prefer to not go in that direction, so please do not try and sell me something! Thanks!!
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