Your questions answered

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 :)