Hi guys!
Thank you
so much for sending in so many great questions. I really had to think about
some of them! Feel free to flick me a message or post over on my Facebook page if you ever have any questions, big
or small or just want someone to share your own experiences with, I love to
hear from you all!
Hope you enjoy :)
General
What's
the biggest/most important lesson your journey has taught you that you would
pass onto someone just beginning theirs?
There's
not one single thing but I would say the key things are:
- Set
goals, and take steps to achieve them. Be ambitious, don't be afraid to set big
goals!
- Make a
commitment to yourself and remain accountable for your actions through whatever
means necessary.
- Be
positive, surround yourself with positive things/people to stay positive and
motivated
-
Never give up!!
When in
your journey did you realise that this time it was going to be different to
other attempts?
Possibly
a lame answer, but when I actually started noticing results!
Prior to
starting logging my calories, and keeping track of what I was putting in my
mouth , every single diet I had tried was always a miserable failure and was
never sustainable, and therefore I never saw results. This was the first thing
I'd tried which actually resulted in weight loss, and I wasn't hungry, had
loads of energy etc, so I just wanted to carry on.
When my
new lifestyle truly cemented itself though was the moment I started
enjoying exercising. I literally used to sit at work for 8hrs, drive home and
then sit on the couch until bed time, the thought of exercise was the worst
thing I could imagine putting myself through. So to reach that point where I
actually wanted to challenge myself..even if just to prove myself a point,
prove that I COULD do it, turned into loving it.. and that's why I feel like I
am in this for life now and why it is sustainable for me. I love the way I eat
and the fitness side of it as well :)
Two of my
favorite quotes which sum up this process for me: "If it doesn't
challenge you, it doesn't change you" and "Fall in love with
the process...and the results will come."
What was
the trigger that motivated you to start?
It was a
combination of things which all just happened to mesh together well at the
time.
1. Being
told I had insulin resistance and had a high risk of developing diabetes
2. I was
just about to embark on a trip to Europe and wanted to get a little fitter to
be able to handle walking around all day
3. Sick
and tired of feeling depressed, hating myself, not being able to do things
4.
Someone suggested I give counting calories / myfitnesspal a go, so I
thought...why not?
How have
you stuck with it for so long? How do you keep up the motivation? I have tried
and failed so many times and its always stupid things (like not losing anything
for a week etc) that set me back - then I give up and put the weight on again.
Then I feel like I have let myself down and the whole cycle starts again.
This is a
great question, and the cycle you mention is something that I have also
personally experienced since my teenage years to when I started this whole
thing. A big part for me was forming good habits. As with the triggers
mentioned above, I knew I had to do something. It initially was just to
log/keep track of everything I ate, then I found out just how bad all the stuff
I had been eating for 10 years actually was... I had been in denial. It was a
real eye opener when I discovered the calorie content and it put me off. This
made it easier to switch to healthier eating because I felt sick at the thought
of the old foods I used to love.
It
snowballed from there and I liked the results I was seeing both in terms of
weight loss, how I was feeling by eating better, seeing results in my fitness
and being able to experience things I never used to due to being the size I
was.
The
people that I have met and the friendships I have made along the way also help
keep me motivated and accountable. Surrounding myself with like minded people
helps a tonne!
I still
have bad weeks myself, and have hit plateaus etc, but I just use it as an
opportunity to work harder the next week. Knowing that I have already achieved
so much, and all the things I still want to achieve, make me want to push
harder and not give up!
Fitness
How did
you motivate yourself to go to the gym?
I didn't
start going to the gym until 8 months into my journey, I had lost around 16kgs
by that point. I joined because I had just got to the point where I was
actually enjoying exercising and challenging myself with each workout. I felt
like joining the gym was the perfect way to step it up to the next level.
As for
what keeps me motivated to keep going... I really enjoy the classes and Les
Mills in general and the positive environment. The instructors there are
amazing... when I first started, there was two of them especially who were so
so kind to me and really pushed me in every class, gave me heaps of
encouragement, made me feel accountable and also like I could achieve
anything...they are a huge part of what really helped me turn up (and they still push me!)
I still
enjoy every class I go to, and because I just love exercising, the feeling
after a good workout etc as well as the fact that I've formed the habit, and
its part of my normal weekly routine, it's easy to turn up! I look forward to
the gym now :)
How do
you have the stamina to workout so often? / How do you get the balance of
when to rest. I feel guilty if I don't get to the gym but wondering if I should
be having rest days.
My
workout week varies, I will do a minimum of 5 workouts (1hr) per week,
sometimes 6 or 7 but it really just depends on my chosen activity.
I try not
to do two of the same sessions in a row to give certain areas a rest, and I
also try to break up big cardio days with strength work, which I find restful
compared to some of the high intensity cardio I do (and love haha).
I prefer
to workout in the mornings before work to get it out of the way and so I can
focus 100%. Afternoon sessions I find my energy lacking a lot, and having the
days burdens on you makes it more difficult to get through mentally.
I find
that I can generally handle 4 days in a row with no problems in terms of energy
levels. I plan out my week with what the workouts I want to do and on what days
which I find helps.
I used to
feel guilty on rest days, sometimes I still do, but I've come to accept that it
is OK , and the body needs it. I don't want to burn out, and then it wont be
fun anymore. :)
In saying
that, I try not to do more than 2 rest days in a row unless there's extreme
circumstances!
Also I
make sure I fuel properly before and after my workouts. All of these things
combined, and the fact that I love exercising, means I can keep it up!
Are your
muscles permanently sore?
This is a
cool question :) I do get sore quite often, but not permanently haha. I
find I get sore when I've gone particularly hard out in something, or doing a
new type of exercise/class, working muscles I don't usually and also
when I'm silly and overdo it by say doing 2 x leg days in a row.. or when I
seem to have endless amounts of energy and gym every day of the week lol.
I love my
foam rollers.
How did
you start running?
Couch to
5K program/app on my phone (10 weeks, 3 times a week). I started doing the
program right at the beginning when I was still over 100kg, and I got to week 3
and my legs just hurt so much (shin splints/calves) I couldn't go further. So I
actually switched to other low impact exercise at that point, it was just too
much stress on the legs to try and run with 100+kgs! I started the program
again after I'd been at boot camp for a couple of months and my fitness levels
increased and I started losing more weight and it just got more bearable. I
also entered the Wellington Round the bays fun run (6.5km distance), which gave
me a goal to work towards which really helped me keep it up. I was determined
to run the whole distance!
I went
from being able to run max 1 lamp post distance to 6.5km in 4 months. :)
It can be done! I would highly recommend doing C25K. It starts slow and you
just see improvements from week to week.
Food/diet
What do
you eat during the day? I do a lot of exercise and I just can't seen to work
out what I should be eating and when I should have protein shakes etc and
everyone seems to tell me something different.
I think
everyone needs to find something that works for them. Personally I eat
everything, e.g. all food groups but control portions instead, otherwise I feel
deprived and more likely to fail (as per past experiences). I just keep to my
calories and make smart/healthy choices with my meals / snacks and opt for
'real' food, and not just eat empty calories. These choices help keep me full
and satisfied and give me the energy I need. Before a workout I usually just
have a banana, I can't stomach anything more than that! As for protein shakes,
I may have one after a workout or build it into my night time sweet snack with
a protein mug cake :)
I have a
couple of previous blog posts about my 'diet' which you can check out for
ideaas HERE and HERE.
Do you
track your fruit sugars on MFP? The reason I ask is because I eat a lot of
fruit, and already today I'm over my Sugar allowance for the day.
Nope!
I've logged my food every day since May last year (apart from when I went to
Europe for a holiday), and I've never really bothered myself with that.
By
choosing the healthy/natural foods, I find I generally am within the recommend
amounts anyway, but I've always just used it as a guide, rather than gospel! If
I am over on certain categories, I don't really care because I know that what I
am eating is good / nourishing. E.g. I'd rather be over on fruit sugars than
pumped full of artificial sweetener :)
What two
things do you eat most/least of?
Most:
Eggs (so versatile) and spinach.. I always have baby spinach in the house!
Least:
Pastries/baking/pies & takeaways... these babies were my biggest weak spot
and I have found it easier to just cut them out all together. Once I broke the
dependance/addiction, it wasn't so hard any more and I don't even miss it!
I pretty
much eat anything otherwise... :)
Thanks for reading :)
