Doing it the Right Way
What to do?
Originally uploaded by collective nounsI don't make it much of a secret that food and I have been the biggest frenemies for the better part of my life. I can't eat one potato chip without gaining 30 pounds. Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it's pretty bad. I struggled for years with eating disorders until one day I snapped out of it and realized that it wasn't making me feel any better about myself and was doing way way way more harm than good.
So instead of getting lucky and occasionally losing interest in food and dropping 10 pounds only to gain it back when I realize I actually am food's #1 fan, this time I decided to actually make real changes instead of temporary, superficial ones.
When I came back home this summer from school I weighed about 118-121 pounds (depending on the time of day) and I am barely 5 feet tall. It was still considered a "normal" weight/BMI for my height, but I just was not happy with it at all.
At first I just started working out more, but didn't really see many changes. Then I had surgery and couldn't work out for three weeks. On the plus side, I also couldn't really eat much so I began to see my first glimpse of weight loss results, which began to inspire me to keep up the good work for real.
I have managed to drop down to 111.6-112 pounds as of this week, and I feel INCREDIBLE because I'm doing it the real, healthy way this time. And the thing is, I know people that aren't happy with their weight, but they don't make any real effort to change the way they eat or their habits. Once you start by making a change at a time, it's so easy. Like second nature.
* I only drink water now. Once in awhile I cave and drink a lemonade or a diet coke, but it's rare enough that it doesn't mess with my weight.
* I work out on my elliptical every day for 30-45 minutes, and I've learned to do interval training instead of one steady pace. The pounds just fell off after I started subscribing to that trick. I mix it up so my body can't adjust and start saving energy.
* I bring my own protein bars and other little snacks to work so I don't have to eat their nasty good chicken tenders or fries. I work at a theme park and get it for free, and it was really hard at first to be around it but not touch it.
* I do strength training every other day. Abs, legs, booty, arms. I have read at least a thousand times this past month that you will burn about 35 calories more for every pound of muscle you have. And that's just calories you burn SITTING AROUND.
* Severely cut back on processed foods. The amount of salt we eat is DISGUSTING. So goodbye salt, and fuck you for making me bloated.
Anyway, this blog will now serve as my motivation to keep going. Especially when I get back to school and will want to eat my body weight in nasty good comfort food. Wish me luck, I'm trying to make it too 100!