It's SUMMER! And although it's raining right now (and will be for the next 4 days, according to the weatherman who I'm sure receives hate mail from annoyed Minnesotans daily) I'm still excited for this new season. You see, I have officially entered into a new season of my Psalm 37 Journey now that summer has arrived.
Everyone, it seems, is in some way or another unsatisfied with their weight. And they always say they want to "lose a few pounds" but just never get around to it. Or they actually try to work out and faithfully hit the gym 3 or 4 times before sort of giving up. And lots of people I know (my mom, for example) have tried diet after diet in attempts to lose the 10-20 pounds they gained over the long Minnesota winter months. Because let's face it: we all want to look good in our swim suits. Guys too. But for us women it gets complicated the more we think about how uncomfortable we are in our bodies. So, we have this desire to look good. Now what?
As school was nearing an end, I seemed to go to more and more doctor's appointments. For me, now, this new phase of hardcore diet and exercise is fueled by much more than my desire to look good in my swim suit. Yes, I've wanted to lose some weight for about 2 years, but never had the ambition or drive to truly get rid of it. I sat around at college and ate at Perkins weekly instead. So as my declining health was becoming more evident this year, my desire changed. I suddenly had this urge, this craving to be healthy. Working out and not going to McDonald's for lunch wasn't about shedding my weight anymore, it was about doing something for myself and being someone I wanted to be...someone I needed to be. Being healthy or getting on the road to being healthy was in my hands, and it wasn't a choice. No amount of perscriptions or operations that the doctor could give were going to do for me what I needed. Only a drastic change in diet and exercise could give me the health I needed and desired.
So! My mom and I began an accountability system together. We went and sought out a personal trainer who now works with us three times a week. We have a strict calorie limit each day (1,100 on days without exercise, and 1,500 on days with exercise) and are required to keep a detailed journal/log of our fat, protein, and carbohydrate intake every day to hand in to our trainer. She evaluates our meals and tells us what we could improve on and what we did right. Then she works us, hard, in an hour of exercise. The most difficult part of this so far is my new diet. At my last doctor's appointment, the doctor told me to start an Elimination Diet for the next month. Now the goal of the Elimination Diet is to rid yourself of the usual junk you eat for a month, and then slowly incorporate normal foods into your diet again to pinpoint what foods you may have food allergies to. This diet therefore cuts out all dairy, wheats/breads, soy, caffeine, red meats, gluten, and peanuts. And let me tell you...the stuff on that list is in A LOT of food. I thought it would be impossible to find any food to eat for a month besides organic chicken and apples.
But I have to tell you, once I got over the shock of withdrawl from my favorite junk foods (I miss pizza and chocolate the most), I really have begun to embrace this new food adventure. I look at the grocery store a whole new way now. I look at labels and count calories. Like...what? Who does that, right? Well, I do! And it's actually eye-opening. Looking at calories alone, I'm amazed at how easily I would end each day with 4,000-5,000 calories with only 2 or 3 meals a day, whereas now with my 6-7 meals a day I can barely reach 1,200. My eyes are opened now to the unhealthy way I've been living, and I'm really excited to actually live and see what it's like to live healthy.
Now a few of you have seen on Facebook that I've already lost 4 lbs. in the past 6 days and have asked me for advice, which is awesome! Giving weight loss and health advice is definitely not something I ever thought I'd be doing in my lifetime. But I'd love to help! I want people to be as excited about their health as I am. :) So I'm going to make you a list (as short and simple as I can make it) of main points you need to know if you want to start getting healthy, if that's ok with you!! And as I continue on my journey, I'm sure this list will grow as my knowledge and experience grows. :) You could maybe print it out and tape it on your mirror or fridge if you need visual accountability.
A List of Things You Need To Know To be Healthy
- Eat more than just 3 meals a day, if possible. (Instead of 3 large meals, your metabolism works best if you eat small portions every 3 hours! Help your metabolism kick in!)
- Eat breakfast! (Give your body 30 mins after waking up, then eat a hearty breakfast filled with a good amount of carbs)
- Exercise for about 60 min every day. (And this doesn't mean going to the gym and pushing yourself to your limit. Go for a walk with a friend or your dog! Rollerblade! Play Wii's Just Dance for an hour! Do something to move your body. And it's going to be easier to do since it's summer now) :)
- If you want to really start exercising, do it with a friend. (Seriously, I can't stress accountability enough. I would not be doing what I'm doing without the push of my mom and my friends. I need them, and they need me. Be someone's accountability as they become yours. Set a specific time with your friend every other day as YOUR TIME to work out with them. It does wonders.)
- Try cutting junk out. (You don't have to be as drastic as my Elimination Diet, but try cutting one junk food out at a time. Start maybe with pop the first week. And then the next week you'll cut pop and cheese. (Cheese and dairy are huge calorie counters! I know it's hard to give cheese up, but I think it's worth a try). And then keep adding things each week for a month or two. I think your results will be better than you'd expect.)
- Be honest. Be realistic. (Don't lie to yourself or set too high of expectations for yourself. This really isn't about winning or failing a goal. This is about: how serious do you really want to be about your weight/health? I think if you keep asking yourself that, you'll get better results than when you're scrambling to get to the gym every day for 2 hours or setting a goal to be a size 0.)
- Start with carbs in the morning, and finish with protein before bed. (Now, please don't eat a sirloin steak before you brush your teeth and cuddle with your pillow, but do eat some form of protein before you sleep. That way, your metabolism works throughout the night rather than starving till morning. I just ate a small can of tuna at about 10:00.)
- Be positive about yourself! (The more you bash yourself and the way you look, the harder it's going to be to actually change your habits. I found that once I decided to look at myself in a positive way, it was so much easier to be positive about my new diet, even though it was hard. I'm the Queen of Low Self Esteem, so trust me when I say it's easier said than done. But just try to be happy with who you are. You're beautiful no matter how much you weigh or how many calories you consume in a day.)
Well, that's all I've got for now! I'm excited to add to that list and continue sharing my new season's experiences with you this summer. And if you're going to change your lifestyle a little bit like I have, let me know! I want to help keep you accountable and see how you're doing as well! It'll be cool to see what the results will be for us in a few months. :)
Peace.
-kelsey
