Health: One Year Fitaversary!

June 2014

So August 1st marks the one year anniversary of the day I decided to take back my health and my life. I am feeling super nostalgic, just like I did on the anniversary of my friends wedding that marked the turning point in my life that led to this starting point. This post definitely won't be as long as the last one, but I am super excited when I think about all the goals I have accomplished in just one year.

June 2014

So I started trying to lose weight by printing out a 30 day Ab and Butt Challenge. The first day was hell. I couldn't do a proper squat because it hurt my knees. I couldn't do a sit up because I had no core strength. On my way up I had to use any momentum I could muster, I  kind of rocked from side to side just to get all the way up. I was a mess and the workout only last 5 minutes. If I remember correctly it was only 5 squats, 5 sit ups and 10 crunches for day 1, I was insanely out of shape. But I did it and I finished out the month. By the end of the month I was doing 100 squats and 50 sit ups (my form was still terrible though). I was really proud of myself for not giving up after day 1 or day 5, but I made it all 30 days. And it only increased from there. The workouts got longer and more intense with each 30 days. Now, I am doing about an hour and a half to two hour workouts a day and my fitness is the best it's been my whole life.

I remember starting day one with this humongous goal ahead of me. It was overwhelming and I really thought I would never even get close to it. The amount of weight I needed to lose was scary. However, I determined not to think of the ultimate goal and just to take my weight loss 30 days at a time. All I had to do was get through a month and there was no way the weight wouldn't come off. So I took it one month at a time. I did the 30 day challenges for activity and tried my best to eat right. I honestly didn't weigh myself until 3 months deep and at that point I had lost 30 pounds. I was very excited. Yes my goal was still very far away, but not nearly as far as it had been 30 pounds ago.

Over the last year I have lost 80 pounds but I have gained a whole new perspective on life and health. I am only 20 pounds away from my goal now and thinking about changing it to 15 pounds. I am stronger than I have ever been. I can actually throw a decent punch, which I have never been able to do. I can see muscles that I never knew existed on me. I can fit into a clothing size that, except during that short spurt of being this weight in 2011, I haven't fit into since middle school. Most importantly I have grown to love the body I was given and appreciate all it does and will do for me.

June 2015

July 2015

I celebrated my Fitaversary with actually paying for a workout routine(gasps)! I also treated myself to a few new dresses. I was hoping to be at my goal by this point, but I am not disappointed at all that I didn't make it. I know that I will continue to put in the work and eventually I will get there. So happy Fitaversary to me!

Health: The Fear of Regaining

During the course of any lifestyle change, there is always the question of "will I fall back into my old lifestyle?". This question is scary for those who are losing weight. The fear of regaining is a very serious concern. Not only because it is easy to fall back into old habits, but because the statistics are against us. Most people that lose weight, gain it all back plus some over the next 5 years. It is a scary prospect to think that all the hard work you put in could be for nothing. I am sure people are tired of reading this sentence, but it truly boils down to a lifestyle change not a diet. That is the only way that a person can hope to sustain the new weight bracket they are in. But unfortunately the odds will always be against those that used to be overweight. It is easier for people who used to weigh more to put on weight because fat cells do not disappear, they just shrink. So it is easier for someone who already has those cells to refill them, than it is for someone to create those cells.

So how are you supposed to stay motivated when the odds are against you? How are you supposed to want to keep up all the hard work when this fear is constantly on your shoulder? I try to see it as extra motivation. Yes I messed up once before, I lost 50 lbs in college and gained 80. When I realized I had regained and that I was over my highest weight, I was truly at my lowest in spirits. I was extremely disappointed in myself.. I don't want to feel that way again. I also know that the embarrassment will be doubled if I let myself regain all over again. So, I learned from the mistakes and know what to do and what not to do now. I motivate myself by telling myself to not become the statistic. I don't want to demotivate others by regaining again, so why not become an exception to the rule instead of the norm. Sometimes, I even just choose to ignore it. So what if the odds aren't in my favor, I am doing this and I will be successful. There are no "maybes", it is a statement: I will succeed. The possibility of regain is there, but it doesn't define my current situation. Currently I am living a healthy life and I am succeeding. That is what counts.

I hear from friends and read on forums people who regained and are scared to start over. I look at it like this: you lost it once before, so you can do it again. Will it be harder? Yes. Will it be worth it? Even more so than the first time. Fear of something is not an excuse not to start something. I say this to myself as much as I write it for others to read. This is not fear of heights or a fear of clowns (people in clown costumes mostly... so scary), this is fear of living your life. Living your life as healthy as possible, because losing weight is not just about the aesthetics, it is about overall health. And when you let fear dictate your overall health, you let it dictate your life.