Hey, all! The gym that I go to is certainly seeing its influx of new people with the start of another year, and I have see more than one person I know remark about promises they have made to themselves for the coming year regarding their weight and health. Last year, I happened to have a very successful experience, shedding about 45 pounds and otherwise moving toward a better health standard--while I'm not an expert, I have a few things to share with you about the experience.
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1. When it comes to exercise, find something you like, something realistic
What I mean by that is that if cross-fit doesn't excite you, don't do cross-fit. Also, don't expect to be an Olympian triathlete in a couple of months. Me? I like Zumba and yoga. Andy likes racquetball or something that involves a game. But maybe you don't feel comfortable jumping into an hour long aerobic routine--then start with water aerobics instead or making sure you get on a bike for fifteen minutes a day or going for a walk, building up to something larger over time instead of killing yourself two weeks in.
2. Have others hold you accountable
A sticker chart works wonders for some people, but maybe not everyone. Have a friend politely ask you every now and again how your progress is going. Find a workout buddy. Sometimes, it would be as simple as telling my Zumba instructor "see you again on Thursday!" Now, she probably wouldn't say anything about it to me later, but making that statement aloud was a self-edification that held me to that promise.
3. Reward yourself reasonably
I did not reward myself for sticking to my keto diet each day with a big ol' plate of pasta. I did (and still do) grab a fun-size chocolate something out of Andy's candy chest at work once in a while. I told myself that I could have one cheat day a week, where I didn't follow my carb count precisely. This cheat day could be pizza or it could be a catch-all for a day I might have not realized how many carbs are in kidney beans, meaning that my cheat day was also my safety net. I've gotten to the point now where I'm so used to the diet I don't use my cheat days as often as I used to.
I like to reward myself with some retail therapy every now and again, particularly as some of my clothing just doesn't seem to fit right anymore. For anyone planning on losing weight, I strongly suggest that you find articles of clothing that fit you along the way instead of waiting to go buy a whole new wardrobe once you have achieved some magic, shining goal-weight. Have at least some clothing that makes you feel good wherever you are now.
4. Track yourself
I went with MyFitnessPal. It's a free site/phone app combination where you can track everything that you take in and what calories you "get back" from exercising. There are a lot of things pre-programmed in from all kinds of restaurants and products. Even recipes from my main keto site have already been added by someone. Before you make any changes, try getting a baseline of what your intake actually is--this will be revealing for its own sake. Whether you use an app or a journal or whathaveyou, document what you're doing.
5. Consider your Metrics
How are you going to measure your progress? Is it some particular weight or dress size or running a mile in a set time? Not only should you set an end goal, but you should also set some supplementary goals. My goal was "improvement of health," which was (and is) a very vague goal. It was easy to get discouraged without defining how I was going to measure that. So I kept track of how I was feeling. I kept track of what I was eating and staying within my macros. I kept track of my overall endurance for how much I could do in a day. I took a before picture, and it was one of the best decisions I made for myself--it was much harder to argue with a picture.
Maybe the numbers are not reflecting on the scale as fast as you'd like, but there might be a pair of pants fitting looser, visible muscle tone peaking out, a workout routine that doesn't exhaust you as much as it used to, etc. Really consider what standards you're holding yourself to and include more than one mode of measuring.
Additionally, how often you measure is worth considering. With my keto goals, I found that considering my carb count as a week instead of a day to day made it easier to forgive myself if I went a little over--I balanced out somewhere else in the week. In other words, I entered in my calorie and carb counts daily, but considered them holistically. With my weight (again, the perk rather than the goal of my plan), I choose to only weigh myself once a week or, frankly, when I felt that I had lost weight and wanted to record a positive number in MyFitnessPal.
Is there a time limit and, if so, why? For me, I wanted to be in a better state of health before our trip to Norway--I had about a year to be "better." Is your timeline realistic? Do you give yourself enough flexibility for life to get in the way on occasion or for those inevitable plateaus that happen from time to time?
6. Be honest with yourself
This is easily the hardest part.
I've been frustrated before with my weight, that I had been trying to lose weight but didn't get anywhere. When I really look at the numbers, when I really look at what I was doing, I wasn't putting my full effort into it. It was very hard to admit that to myself. I hadn't actually committed to trying, just a series of half-assed ideas that didn't stay for longer than two weeks.
That means reporting the good and bad, putting in the mini-chocolate bar in my calorie counts and knowing that if I didn't make it to the gym one day I would try to make it up on another day. Acknowledging where I fell short, and then moving on. Acknowledging, too, when I was doing well.
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And stick with it, my friends. Even if your resolution only lasts a month, a month's worth of being better to yourself is still a good thing. The change that I saw happened over the course of a year, meaning I plateued here and there, but I stuck through those times.
Also, I still don't tire of people telling me that I look great and neither will you.
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