I’ve blogged before at length about finding a healthy balance. Anyone who know me knows the various diets and fitness regimes I’ve tried. And I’ve tried a lot. The truth is, growing up chubby and then losing the weight in adulthood means that you have to be constantly diligent to ensure you don’t go back.
I’ve definitely gained since my wedding (when arguably I was underweight), not helped by American portion sizes, the stress of a life move, and booze. The food here is just so damned tasty. And big. While my dress size has not changed, I definitely feel a bit squidgier around the edges. Whether overweight or underweight, my tummy has always been the issue. Legs, arms and everything else… no problem. Just tum. Everyone has a goal, and a flat tum is mine.
Last summer, my first in America, I decided to sign up for a 6-week Crossfit challenge. Mud Sweat Tears (MST) is a local franchise of gyms dedicated to crossfit, lifting and helping professionals and novices train for Spartan Races. My immediate thoughts? Mud. God no. Turns out, no mud or tears were involved! (Sweat was a different story). I joined for 6 weeks and set a goal – the premise being that if you hit that goal, you get your money back so the 6-week period is effectively ‘free’. I lost 5% body fat, smashing my goal, but as soon as I stopped the program the weight came right back on again.
I’m still searching for that elusive healthy balance. I repeat the same mantra time and time again: Eat less, move more – but with a few cheat days thrown in here and there. You’ve got to live. But equally, you can’t obsess. I wish I knew the answer. I wish there was some magic formula. But there isn’t. It’s just about taking each day at a time and loving yourself. Trite but true.
So now I’m doing WW Reimagined (can’t believe I’ve never tried Weight Watchers) – a cute app that’s easy to follow. No way am I going to meetings though.
It’s so hard not to get obsessed with numbers and figures and resorting to starving yourself to get temporary results – something that I absolutely did in the run up to the wedding and something that almost ran me into the ground. Now I just want to enjoy a little bit of all the foods I love, in moderation. I really don’t have that far to go, I just want to find that elusive healthy balance. Deprivation does not work. Exercise does not work for me for weight loss (I wish it did). Now, I just exercise to feel good.
Change is about STARTING. Literally anyone can do it, at any time. You just have to have the motivation or incentive. So here I am, starting again. Wish me luck.
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