Like many of you; I have began the NEW YEAR NEW ME. Actually my husband started the process first this time..which has been a nice treat to see him transform in his thoughts and of course physically.
We started to realize that the more kids we had the more in shape we needed to be. We want to be there for our children in many ways but one big one is physically. We want to be the parents that can run, catch, play on the swings, go down the slide, and never have to refuse a quick trip to the beach.
So the process of shedding weight and building muscle begins.
Amazon here I come for some workout clothes, bottles and vitamins...ok now that I have every excuse out of the way to not make a life change....away we go.
I cut my calories down like I ALWAYS have and for two weeks I lost weight.
Super motivated and ready to keep on.
What are calories?
Simply put, a calorie is a unit that measures energy. Calories are usually used to measure the energy content of foods and beverages.
Then the third week hit and I LOST NOTHING.
I was seriously getting so frustrated and kept racking my brain because I was doing everything I knew that had worked in the past and it just stopped...UGGHH I'm confident many of you reading this have also been there.
My Husband on the other hand: does not have a period, does not have excess water weight, and does not have hormones that like to rage in every direction. He has gained a steady amount of muscle and feels physically better every week.
A change needed to be made for me.
So I fell into an extraordinary amount of research. My Husband did as well. He came to me and said "you need to up your protein and eat more".
In addition to promoting weight loss, research suggests that maintaining a high protein diet may prevent or reduce weight regain and help maintain muscle mass.
Therefore, if you want to achieve long lasting, sustainable weight loss, consider increasing your protein intake by eating more eggs, meat, poultry, or legumes.
Of course I defended my calorie deficiency. Then I said to myself..eat up your pride because what you are doing IS NOT WORKING. I hired a personal trainer and the first question was "run me through your daily meals..what do you eat?"
My response I feel was similar to most every mom I know.
I eat my eggs every morning with the kids then I get super busy throughout the rest of the day. I make them a little lunch, my Husband has his prepped lunch meal at work....By the time I get hungry we are two hours away from dinner so I just tell myself I am fine.
I was addicted to coffee and Ive always had a full cup of water nearby.
So I had no bad habits to break as far as eating donuts, pop, or candy bars.
My trainer said that she would read over my notes and then get back with me about a meal plan and an exercise program that worked for me.
The email arrived and I was honestly shocked. The calorie deficient thoughts were deleted from my mind when I read her sentence. "You should be eating between 1600 and 1800 calories". My body was basically understanding that it was being starved.
People assigned female at birth (AFAB)
Age | Daily calorie requirements |
19–30 years | 1,800–2,400 calories |
31–60 years | 1,600–2,200 calories |
61+ years | 1,600–2,000 calories |
Keep in mind that these estimates don’t apply to those who are pregnant or nursing, as they’ll need significantly more calories.
People assigned male at birth (AMAB)
Age | Daily calorie requirements |
19–30 years | 2,400–3,000 calories |
31–60 years | 2,200–3,000 calories |
61+ years | 2,000–2,600 calories |
No matter how hard I tried to workout, no matter how much water I drank..I was not losing any weight.
So the process of reteaching myself how to eat during the day and programming myself to put my health and regiment first was and is still hard.
I've heard so many times....
"YOU CAN'T POUR FROM AN EMPTY CUP".
I've now realized I was running on fumes.
In the first two weeks of eating the caloric intake my trainer suggested I eat... I lost weight. 7 pounds to be exact and I am more than thrilled to continue on this journey of health and fitness.
My exercise schedule every other day is as follows:
30 minutes treadmill
lift weights
30 minutes treadmill
lift weights
30 minute treadmill
lift weights
Meal prep is a must! Here are some of my meals:
So the story is: don't give up and course correct yourself if need be. Maybe reach out to friend or a specialist.
How can you improve your health and strength? Wilson Wonders
תגובות