I don't know what's been going on with me lately but I have been dealing with some major cravings and lack of energy. Don't get me wrong, I am still fully committed to what I am doing but I seem to be passing through a dessert. Oops.. I mean desert. See, even now I have chocolate on the brain!
People frequently ask me how I manage to maintain a meal plan with such limited sugar. If I don't have it that often, don't I feel immense temptations? While I'd like to say "No... I'm perfect", the truth is that I still crave it like you wouldn't believe and I do struggle every day with temptation. Today I gave in and had an oatmeal cookie sandwich with peanut butter cream filling. This delicious treat was sent straight from the devil to taunt me. I told myself over and over not to eat it but it wouldn't stop calling to me! So I did what I have to do now that I'm leading a balanced lifestyle- I made a deal with myself. I would allow ONE cookie into my plan for the day if I committed to doing a solid 30 minute workout and drinking an extra bottle of water. So I split the cookie into three sections and ate one small portion every ten minutes. This made it seem like I'd really had three cookies and I wasn't deprived. Then, when I got home, I did indeed stay true to my bargain and followed through with the additional exercise and water.
What I'm learning more and more as I go through this journey (now successfully 30 pounds lighter than my heaviest, holla!) is that in order for it to be a true change, it has to be something you can sustain. Not just for now... forever. Because of my addiction I will ALWAYS struggle with food. I will always want the comfort of it but like any recovering addict, I will learn how to handle it. This is a great sign of how far I've come. Eating only one cookie would've been impossible a few months ago! If you had told me I'd be able to do that I would've laughed in your face and eaten another candy bar. If you'd told me I'd be walking around in a pair of pants that are slowly falling off of me, I might've even called you a dirty liar. But here I am, consistently maintaining a healthy meal plan and shedding more weight as each day passes. And every night, though I continue to face temptation, I am so thankful that my steps are growing more determined. My weakness to food is becoming less and my resolve is becoming stronger.
With every success, also comes some struggle. Right now, the challenge is getting enough exercise. I have been successfully waking up at 5:00 every morning to get in my daily cardio. I vary it from day to day and do strength training in the evenings after dinner. While this has been an amazing accomplishment, for the last few weeks I've been losing motivation. Getting up at 5 leaves me exhausted in spite of the endorphins I'm getting from working out. There is the quote from Legally Blonde where Elle says "Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands". Well... do these happy people get a full 7-8 hours of sleep before they exercise? Do they enjoy mornings in general? Do they like sweating and being hot and sticky before making their breakfast? Because I, my friends, do not. And if I had a husband, I couldn't promise his safety when I'm up at 5 am after only a few hours of rest.
I discussed this problem with several people, including a few friends whom I consider health gurus. They all agreed on the same thing. If exercise becomes a chore, you will not sustain that change. As soon as you drop the weight and meet your goal, you'd likely also drop the exercising. It can't be something you loathe doing every day. For two solid months I enjoyed getting up and working out but now... it's becoming a chore. And I want to learn to love it! So what's the solution?
Firstly, I need to stop listening to the skinny, exercise junkies who keep telling me that I'll "only lose weight if I get my metabolism going early". False prophets! Is it beneficial to workout in the morning before you begin your day? Absolutely! But is it the only way you can be successful in weight loss and lifestyle management? NO! If I'm more inclined to do it later in the day, or even before bed, then that is the right time for me. There is no right or wrong when it comes to exercise. As long as you do it, you're learning and doing your body good. I have to continue reminding myself to not feel guilty if I'm different and have to do things according to what works for me. Working out in the afternoons and evenings prove much better for me because I'm truly happy and ready to do it. I'm fully awake, I have the energy to complete a full workout, and (I'll admit it) I'd rather be sweaty at home when I know I'm not going anywhere afterwards, so I have time to shower and relax. It's just better!
So... my new system, that seems to be working, is to get up at an acceptable hour and do 1 minute of some kind of cardio- i.e. jumping jacks, high knees, or mountain climbers- just to get the blood pumping. Then I go about my day, getting extra walking and lifting in at work when I can, and do my cardio as soon as I get home from work. Then I continue doing my strength training and stretching before bed. I tried this out for two days this week and already I can feel my body responding because there's no stress involved. I'm much happier!
Like I said in the beginning, this journey will come with several adjustments and since I'm doing it on my own, I'll have to find my way to success. But I'll never stop moving. This tortoise is scooting along just fine!
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