(That actually stuck in my craw a little, I'm by NO MEANS skinny, and I kept having my mom poke parts of me to see they were in fact muscularly hard, not skinnyfat. I realized they just didn't have the vocabulary to describe my changing physique accurately, so used "skinny" instead of lean, svelte, cut, whatever.) I told my mom, proudly, "I haven't been this size since Junior High!" She responded, "Sarah, I don't know if you were ever this size. You certainly weren't this SHAPE." Which was intended as a compliment about how I look now, not a dig at how I looked then. (See, sometimes I AM capable of reading intent, not just responding to the words that were said. Sensitivity. I'm learning it.)
Apart from the changes I'm seeing in my own body, I'm beginning to notice the positives in my own plan (again, thanks to the expertise of Robin Romero and Prissy Sassy Fitness) compared with the circular thinking and results of my previous weight-loss attempts.
Here's me, pre-weight loss. Approximately 180lbs, on the right, there.
What I was doing wrong:
Skipping meals to "save calories"
Avoiding "carbs" in the form of grains, and starches like potato
Cardio Guilt: If I ate something "bad" I'd do "extra cardio" to "burn it off"
Not being consistent, I'd stick to something for a week, MAYBE two, before returning to previous habits.
Never kicked alcohol to the curb.
Weekend Setbacks: I'd be on-plan all week, Monday-Friday, then Friday night through Sunday night it was a free-for-all. Not a cheat meal, not a cheat day, a FREE FOR ALL weekend, which would more than undo any dietary progress I'd made during the week.
Even when I was lifting heavy and exercising like a maniac (on Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer) I didn't lose fat consistently because of the above failures. Now, keep in mind, any exercise, any heavy lifting, those are steps forward. A very out of shape person can lose weight by making small tweaks in their diet or exercise levels. I, however, was at a point where I was cardiovascularly fit, and just was carrying around fat because I was eating wrong to lose it.
What I'm doing right, with guidance:
1.) Eating more small meals throughout the day.
There is much debate in the diet/bodybuilding world as to whether this makes any difference in metabolism, as claimed by some. I don't know if it does or not, what it does for me is keeps me eating specific foods in specific amounts throughout the day, which staves off hunger and cravings, and stops me from being too hungry leading to a BINGE.
2.) Drinking a gallon of water or more per day.
Drinking water helps you lose fat. Period. Do it. You're made up of water. So are your muscles. WATER, just do it.
3.) I'm sticking to the meal plan.
Sometimes I get one cheat meal a week. I'm not deviating from what I'm told to do, and I've been doing it for over 8 weeks. This has gotten me results. Consistency. Continual consistency gets results.
4.) Moderate cardio, heavy lifting.
When I say heavy lifting, I don't mean picking up your 7 year old kid during a tantrum. I mean 5+ days a week in a gym, lifting enough weight that by my 10th rep whatever body part is trembling with exertion and is almost unable to maintain form. It's a joy to finish a set of hip thrusters and feel my glute muscles scream in agony. THIS is what is meant by pain=progress.
Seriously, that's about it. And knowing all this, seeing the differences in my body, it is really beginning to drive me batsh*t when I see friends doing the same circular failings I did when I didn't know any better. All those literal YEARS of dieting or deprivation, for NOTHING. It was so frustrating, to put forth all this effort and sacrifice for weeks on end, only to return to the former state, former weight, and not understand why permanent change wasn't happening for me. I'd explain it away with genetics, with "set weight point", any other myth I chose to believe to justify my stagnation.
If you're trying to lose weight, or lose fat, and you're doing it for the x-teenth time and experiencing the same issues you have in the past, TRY SOMETHING NEW. Don't perpetuate the cycle that leads to failure, TRY SOMETHING NEW.
<Something new? Change. Over on the left, top, is my body 8 and 7 weeks ago. On the bottom is my body as of last Saturday (and a couple weeks back in the jeans. Yes, that is the same pair of jeans worn in both photos.) My body is changing. I'm not using tricks, photoshop, or anything else. These pics can also be seen on my Sarah4fitness profile on bodybuilding dot com, or facebook.>
There is a LOT of misinformation out there, from fad diets (that includes you, Dr. Atkins, CARBS AREN'T THE DEVIL) to gimmicks (can you say pregnancy hormone starvation diet?), to seriously destructive methods of calorie counting like the damn My Fitness Pal app, which teaches you to obsess over the calorie count, and guesstimate what you're burning, and then to EAT MORE to "fill in" the calorie deficit.... NO NO NO. Such a detrimental app in the hands of someone who hasn't been fully educated on what EXACTLY your body really needs to lose fat.
Anyway, I'm trying hard not to preach. I'm trying hard not to poke people I see on Facebook or in my real life who keep hopping on the weight-loss carousel for a ride, rather than hopping OFF it in favor of a life change. I just continue on my own path, quietly (for the most part) hoping that when others are ready for true fat loss success, that they'll ask me how I did it, so I can direct them to help. Or hey, if they wait a little longer, until I'm certified as a trainer myself, so I can help them directly. Everyone deserves to have the body they want, and everyone can have it. They need the right tools.
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