I know that it may seem like I am looking for a way to make things easier for myself but I'm actually doing quite the opposite. I knew that the food journal would be temporary and there would be an evolution of sorts to come from this. Let me catch you up to speed. I started seeing a personal trainer at my gym on the 15th of April and I've continued to see him every week, twice a week. That paired with playing racquetball now once a week instead of two means I'm working out three days a week.
One day of cardio and two days of workouts. That's not all I'm doing now though. I have been trying to go to the park now with the weather clearing up and transitioning to spring. I am finally able to go on walks and enjoy the nice weather after work when I'm not scheduled overtime hours. My trainer wants me to walk one mile at least two or three additional days.
Sad confession, he had me walk on the incline treadmill (that you move yourself) for five minutes and it wiped me out before we even started my first personal training session. I was spent before I had even started any of the workouts. The nice thing though is that we have a starting point. We can grow and overcome this now that we know where the bar is. I'm not one to back down from a challenge when I actually want the reward.
My trainer told me about an app called 'MyFitnessPal' and had me download it on my phone. This app is the evolution of my food journal! It lets me log my meals but it also counts my calories for each meal and also tracks how much water I'm drinking. My trainer wants me to drink 90 ounces of water a day. It seems pretty steep but there are days I meet it but most days, I haven't come close. He understands that and tells me to try to drink when I remember and as long as I'm getting 60 ounces, I'm making sure I stay hydrated.
Since I only drink milk when I'm not drinking water, I don't have any problem getting 30 ounces a day, its just pushing to that extra 60 ounces a day is where I'm currently at. I log my meals, track my water and count my calories. It sounds like it's hard or a lot of work but really, it's just as easy as it would be to not track anything and eat like I used to.
I'm literally eating less and feeling the same. Do I still have cravings? Yes! Do I still cheat? Yes! Do I still count those in my app? Yes! I just feel better and more determined this time around. I can't explain it any other way than to say that I don't want to eat fast food. I don't want to drink a soda with my meal. It's almost like a challenge that I've silently accepted and I want to win and see how far I can go. I felt faster at racquetball this past week and that could all be in my head but it feels good to smile about it and know that regardless, I am improving my health.
I have a life of bucket list items to check off and I'll never get there living the lifestyle I have. My motivations are totally different this past year. They have been evolving the past few years honestly but it all culminated to 2021 when I finally decided enough was enough. I'm working overtime or I'm working on my health but I'm not binge eating anymore. Some people celebrate that but I just see that as one step in the progress I need to make (so long as you keep chips and dip away from me)!
If you've followed me from the beginning (or from BEFORE the beginning), you know how hard it has been for me mentally to get past some of these barriers. I want to say I'm mentally stronger now but I just feel like I've opened a door that can still close from the other side. I can still fall victim to my own harsh criticism but what I'm doing to combat that is to not eat when I feel that way. I look for snacks when I feel a fake hunger and try to fight it.
I'm done feeling like crap about it though. I allow myself wiggle room but I log it and make sure I'm not going over my calories for that day and if I do go over on that day, I make a note that it can't happen again the following day. So basically what I'm saying is that I'm human. Absolutely 100% fat on my stomach and flawed human.
So with my new App, I will still also continue to monitor my blood pressure and log that in my journal but I won't be writing down meals anymore or sharing them on here. Instead, what I'd like to do is share my blood pressure cuff results every week along with possibly sharing some of my favorite meals that week on my Instagram page. This blog goes hand-in-hand with that IG page so make sure you follow me at 'PhatLoveFit' if you want to see more of my meals or progress in my stories on a daily basis.
Until next time, friends, have a great day!
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