This is a long and rambling post, and I apologize in advance. Read it and you’ll understand more about my journey.
Our first week, Shaun threw down the gauntlet and set us out on a steady course to Fitness. We all have our own goals we want to accomplish, we all have different body types. We all have lives and jobs and friends and family. We, in other words, all have things to do. Fitness is one of them. I have been on my own personal fitness journey for a few years, but I really feel like it got kicked into high gear last year and I’m not letting it fizzle out now!
Last week Shaun talked to us about Food Basics. This is one area that I always struggle with. I have always enjoyed food. I like to eat. I like sweets – chocolate is a food group, right? It’s also an area that isn’t as black and white as exercise. When you are at the gym, you know what muscle groups you are working – well, you should if you know anything about what you are doing. You know what machines or weights or benches to use to accomplish the goals that you set for yourself. Food on the other hand has always been my enemy. I never seem to understand it. I never seem to get a grasp on calories in, calories out.
I’ve been working out, regularly and with a trainer for a number of years now. My weight would fluctuate, but would always hover around 170lbs. That’s great if you’re 5’11 or taller, but at 5’7 that wasn’t a weight I wanted. I knew it was bad when buying new jeans one time, the size 33 waist was tight and I would have to go up to a 34. I didn’t buy any jeans, but I vowed to not be that big again. I haven’t been. At the beginning of 2012 I started to really look at my food intake. I restricted my calories to 1600 a day since I wanted to be 160lbs. I kept a food journal, with my exercise journal and kept strict track of how many calories I consumed, how many grams of Fat, Protein and Carbs were in each meal or snack. I tracked every little morsel. This went on for 9 months and I lost not one single pound. I still hovered around 170. Actually, I lie. I went on vacation and stopped keeping track of everything and I lost 2 pounds, but quickly put them back on when I started tracking everything again.
I was literally crying about this to my amazing running coach and we agreed that this was no way to live. I would go on work trips or out to dinner and it was hard to figure out from the portion how many calories were in this meal or what the Fat, Protein and Carb counts were. It was exasperating! It was no way to live. My running coach came up with this amazing eating plan for me. I would no longer be counting calories. I wouldn’t be caring about how much Fat, Protein or Carbs were in each meal. I had foods I could eat, I had foods I should avoid and I had foods that I was no longer going to eat. I thought it was going to be difficult, but it’s remarkably easy. I have gone pseudo-Paleo and Gluten Free. I try and eat Vegetarian two days a week. I try and keep my Glycemic Index low. It’s actually really easy. I know what I can and can’t eat. I know I get a 20% cheat ratio for the week (or weak moments). I know that if I cheat, it’s not the end of the world. What has the result been? On 1 September 2012 I weighed in at 172lbs and as of today I weigh 159. I haven’t been under 160 in years! It’s the easiest thing I’ve done! I was down to 157 at one point, but have gone up and down those 2 pounds. I haven’t broken over 160 since I went below it, so I’m a very happy camper!
So…what you ask is the point of all this rambling. This week’s challenge was a hard one for me. I went to the BMR calculator that Shaun sent us to and I put in all of the specific information that it asked for and then had a crisis in deciding what level of fitness I am. I consulted with Shaun and determined that I was a very active person. That meant I should be consuming 2833 calories a day. Right now I have no idea how many calories I consume. I keep track of what I eat to ensure that I’m maintaining my Gluten Free above all else and that I keep to my list. I tried…I really tried, but I couldn’t embrace going back to tracking calories again. It didn’t work for me before and that painful memory is still fresh in my mind. I’m sorry Shaun, I think I’ve let you down on this challenge. I just can’t go there right now. I am really aware of what I am consuming otherwise, I just can’t count.
You didn’t let me down at all! As I said, and you mentioned, each of us have different body types and lifestyles. What may work for you may not work for others, and vice versa.
To accommodate your way of eating, if you want to increase muscle mass, simply add more protein into your diet – preferably in the form of lean meats and fish. Also, on days you work out, add an extra starchy vegetable (I’m in love with sweet potatoes/yams) to your food that day.
The challenge is to understand what works for your body. Some things will stick, and some things will slide off.
Thanks! I’m glad it’s not a let down as that I would not want to do!