Spring is basically here although you wouldn't know it judging by the weather this week here in beautiful east Texas. Seriously. It's 70 degrees one day and highs in the 40s the rest of the week. I promise this isn't a post about the weather. It's merely a segway into this week's post.
Anyway, so many people set goals for having a beach ready body by spring when they only started getting in shape at the first of the year. If you are doing drastic things then ok...you might achieve that goal but in reality, most of us hit bumps in the road that temporarily set us back when it comes to obtaining our goal weight. Some of us more than others. *coughmecough* In fact, Lose It originally told me that I would reach my goal weight by March 17th. Hahahaha! Haha! Ha! Ha. That date is now May 5th. Losing about 17 pounds in a few months isn't exactly an unrealistic goal if you are extremely diligent. I, obviously, am not. But you may be. Just make sure when you are setting your goal that it is realistic. My gym tells you they can help you lose 15 pounds in six months with their personal training sessions. I've never asked but I assume it's because you are a building muscle mass. And if you've read my past posts you know gaining muscle mass could cause you to lose weight slower than calorie restriction and cardio alone because of the density of muscle. And I'd much rather keep my muscle than allow my body to drop it while dropping weight just so I can reach some stupid number on a stupid scale.
Right, that's out of my system. ...stupid scale...
Needless to say, though I currently weight less than I did four months ago and I've lost inches, I'm still about 10 pounds from my goal weight. Yes I'm training for a look but it would be really awesome to hit that number. I know I look better than I did four months ago but I'm not ready for a two piece bathing suit yet. Well...I could be if I was mentally ready which realistically probably means never. But we've all seen the pictures on the internet of that girl who thinks she's cute but clearly needs to put more clothes on. Right? Buuuuuut...the shorts I wore last year will be too big! I should invest in new jeans and shorts but I can't be arsed with that right now. Not when I still have weight to lose. ;)
I take each day at a time. I know I'll have ups and downs and I know I'll hit some major bumps in the road but I keep my eyes on the goal. Last week I finally broke the 150 barrier. I sat at 150 for weeks. The dreaded plateau. But I finally busted through and it was an awesome feeling! My Monday afternoon training group was talking about shaping their arms so I flexed (jokingly of course) but was shocked to see definition in my bicep. I've never had more than a puny looking little muscle there and in four weeks I've noticeable changed! Yeah I'm tooting my own horn but it seems like you only ever hear about the people who work out hours a day and eat only chicken breast and steamed vegetables at every meal. I'm proof that you can still enjoy what you eat, lift some weights and do some cardio and you'll see changes. I promise.
I earned the inferno badge on Lose It tonight by burning 140% of a daily calorie budget each week for eight weeks in a row. Thats 2,180 calories a week I burn exercising. Most of that comes from my long run on Sunday but it's slowly getting me to my goal. So, set a goal. Be realistic. And don't let a single bad day or a bad week make you think all is lost. Because it isn't. Perseverance will get you there. And every singly day that you choose to eat one less bite or something bad, or eat a vegetable over a starch or walk 20 minutes is a step in the right direction. What starts out as a daily decision soon becomes a habit. Before you know it you're doing those small changes like they are second nature.
(And for those who have been trying to post anonymously but couldn't...I think I have the problem fixed. Sorry about that!)
Until next time!
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