Back in 2014, I lost 50 pounds. Everyone asked my secret. Running! Of course, it wasn’t just running. I had to eat right, too. Plus, just running gets pretty boring, so I did other stuff that helped keep me motivated. This time around, I seem to have forgotten to do the eating right part. Maybe because I’m a mom of two little ones and don’t have much time for keeping track of what I eat. Or maybe it’s because I’m breastfeeding and those extra calories burned each day should make up for the crud I’m eating. Either way, I’m still eating horribly.
Deciding to Eat Better
Making the choice to eat better is harder for me than working out. I love my cheeseburgers, pizza, and Oreo’s! Not that there is anything wrong with those things…but they definitely aren’t helping me out on the scale. See, when I lost a lot of weight before, I counted calories using My Fitness Pal. It’s a great tool – I’m trying to get back to using it now. But in 2014 I could spend an hour at the gym every single day or go for a 2-mile run every evening.
I enjoy the working out part most of the time – especially when it starts getting a little easier. As a mom, I find that I have to get in a quality workout in much less time. While it may be quality, I’m definitely not burning the 400+ calories I was 5 years ago! (I actually went back to My Fitness Pal entry on February 7, 2014, and confirmed that I did burn exactly 400 calories at the gym that day!)
I’m burning 150 instead, and while that’s not a bad thing, it does mean I need to take my food intake much more seriously. I can eat cheeseburgers, pizza, and Oreo’s if I burn enough calories to do so. On days that I don’t even get my steps in, it probably isn’t a good idea.
So, starting now, I’m going to do better on the food part.
Consistency is Key
Eating well 2-3 days a week might make a small difference, but I’m here to make waves. By allowing cheat day one day each week, I’ll be more likely to stay on track and avoid the binges I sometimes find myself in. Being consistent in quality food is the best way to get the scale where I want it!
Luckily, my hubby has decided to start doing better on eating, too! That means when I cook healthier meals, it will actually get eaten! This is an inspiration in itself, but that factor will help with the consistency, too. The challenge will come in the form of our adorable 2-year-old asking for his favorite foods – pizza or burgers! It’s especially hard to deny him when he says, “Berber, pleeeease!”
For the Kiddos
Despite his cuteness overload, I want to raise healthy kids, too. While burgers are delicious, they are definitely not a meal that should be consumed 1-2 times each week. Having said that, I realize how much my child eats poor food and have found additional inspiration to do better!
In fact, the only way my son will eat veggies is in the form of vegetable and fruit puree. We do what we have to and get him his required servings of vegetables via what we call “grabbers,” the pouches of baby food. Hubby drinks a really gross looking shake to get in his vegetable servings. I’m the only one that actually likes vegetables and eats large quantities of them since I’m not one to waste food!
Although I eat a lot of veggies, they are often coated in butter and salt, which kind of defeats the purpose. Now I’ll focus on eating vegetables in a healthier way.
Keeping Track
I know that I am slacking in the food and exercise tracking part. I have a smartwatch (Misfit brand and I love it!) that tracks my steps and exercise, so that automatically uploads, but I rarely input my food these days to see if I did enough exercise compared to what I ate.
Along with this new determination to eat better comes the desire to keep track of it. Since My Fitness Pal worked great for me before, and it links to my watch, I’m going to continue using it. If you also use My Fitness Pal, let me know and we can be friends!
If you don’t use an app for tracking, I hear an old fashioned food journal works great!
My Definition of Fitness
So it’s clear fitness is more than just getting your workouts in. For me, fitness means:
- Working out
- Eating right
- Tracking input vs. output
- Being consistent
It’s time to get serious about my health and fitness. Let’s dive into this together. Comment to discuss your fitness journey. It’s always better to have a buddy!