Royally Waiting (Link-up #7)
Welcome to Royally Waiting, a linkup where you can share what’s been going on in your life! Holly, Katy and I are so happy you are here.
This week I’m mixing it up a bit and share about something I’ve been waiting on but finally had to decide to tackle myself. For the past, oh, nine months or so I’ve been waiting for my body to miraculously decide to mutate into a firm and fit shape before summer. While I was waiting I was eating healthy (mostly) and working out (occasionally) and “cheating” (myself mostly) and convincing myself, once again that eventually everything would settle down. Well, things have not settled down, friends, and it is now spring and not one single pair of shorts in my closet will fit me.
While I was waiting, I also felt sorry for myself. I really didn’t want to put away the chips and hot sauce! Hot sauce y’all, I mean I’m not even a queso girl. Some mornings it has been so stinking dark and cold so it was easy to sleep in instead of hitting the gym. I’m positive I may have even started feeling angry at my mom for over feeding me when I was young (just joking) ( kind of ). Finally, I realized I recognized this place and remembered I do not like it very much!
Here’s the deal. Being a size 6 is not in my future, like ever. I have been as low as 135 pounds in my adult life (for maybe 2 days) and let’s just say I felt amazing but was starving and those days are over. I do however pride myself on being healthy and I’ve let things go to a point I do not feel healthy.
A few weeks back I took advantage of a new wellness center in our area, Core Performance & Wellness, and made an appointment to have my resting metabolic rate (RMR) tested as well as a full body scan measuring bone density, lean mass and my favorite (sarcasm) body fat. I knew it was not going to be pretty but it was definitely the wake up call I needed. Two years ago I was so proud to have a body fat percentage of 22.8% and it is now 34%! Thankfully all my other numbers (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar) are great but this number bugged the tar out of me. What I also learned is my RMR is, not surprisingly, very low which means eating less, working out more to lose the body fat. What’s the point? Having a baseline to me is a great way to evaluate myself without just looking at the scale or my naked body in the mirror. For me it gets my head straight to see all those numbers. I may have even put them into a spreadsheet!
I fully believe we should all want to feel good in the body we are in and be happy with ourselves regardless of what our “feel good” size may be. For me, this was not acceptable and I have not felt myself for months. So what did I do? Back to meal planning and much less cheating! Meal planning and packing my breakfast and lunch each week is something I always do but for the past 9 months or so I’ve also opened the jar of peanut butter, snuck the chocolate and enjoyed the glass (or two) of wine often. Focusing on why I was really grabbing for food, hunger or something else, and upping my water intake was a big start.
What changed the most in the past year was changing my workouts to be much less often and less weight lifting. Weigh lifting is not my favorite but the fact is muscle burns fat! Looking at my weekly schedule and plugging in workouts that work for me and sticking to the plan has to happen if I want to prevent dying of heat exhaustion in my jeans this summer at the beach! Ha!
So here’s the prescription for me that I’m going to follow until those darn shorts fit again darn it!
- no excuses
- eat for fuel not fun
- work my muscles (gym or 10K steps every day)
- cut out sugar as much as possible
- reduce carbs and increase protein without sacrificing tasty food
- pay attention to how I feel; mentally and physically
Are you waiting to start thinking about a healthy lifestyle? Are you making excuses for putting it off? Are you living a healthy lifestyle 50% of the time and then falling off the wagon? Do you give up on yourself when it gets tough? Whatever is holding you back, you can do this! We owe it to ourselves, to our significant others, to our families to be the healthiest, mentally and physically, that we can be!
I love the saying, it’s not that some people have willpower and some people don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not. I’m done waiting to change and I hope you guys will hold me accountable!
Your turn to share what you are waiting for this week!
Get Social with Shelly!
I have wanted to go to a place like you went to so that i could have all of those things tested but I have not found one yet. I have worked out and tried to eat healthy for the past 6 to 9 months and can’t lose a pound! Thank you for sharing your journey. It is very motivating to me to just get my butt in gear!
This year has been the hardest yet Jessica. This is not a new battle for me and thankfully I do at least know nutritionally what works the best. I’m always thinking I need to add more cardio but truly I think doing heavier weights and increasing muscle mass really does have the biggest benefit to having a leaner body..not just a lighter body on the scale. I am literally only 10 lbs heavier but based on where the weight has deposited it feels like 20. Let’s motivate each other!
Good for you!!!!! I had all my numbers done when I first started seriously working out 17 years ago and I felt the same way, it really puts things in perspective. Listen, working out regularly and eating clean and healthy takes time but you are worth it and you’ll feel so good. I’m cheering you on!
xoxo,
Kellyann
Thanks Kellyann! I love to have some cheerleaders. I really do love eating healthy and do not feel deprived at all….but i do get frustrated when I don’t see fast results and typically head straight for the sweets! I’m the queen of cheating that’s for sure.
Way to put yourself and your health first! Good luck on your journey! I’ve fallen off the wagon and bit and have been trying to make better food choices (applesauce instead of chips). It’s all about one step at a time!
Definitely one step at a time Laura. That is the biggest hurdle for me because I want to see instant results!
Such a good, real post friend. I have been in a VERY similar boat as you. I have just been coasting… backwards a bit too. Funny you posted this today, last night was my first night to really hit the gym hard in WEEKS. It felt amazing. I am also planning to take a hiatus from sugar in a couple of weeks to. Lord help my family.
Thankfully I really do love working out and being active….making it a priority is sometimes my issue! It’s so crazy how much sugar we intake without even realizing it. I haven’t had any sugar other than whats in fruit and veggies for two weeks now….and my craving is pretty much gone.
I think you have a solid plan in place to get you to the place you want to be! It’s such a hard thing, losing weight and making sacrifices but I think it’s such an important experience. Putting yourself first and lovin’ your body is so important. Not for vanity purpose but because you want to be healthy and happy.
I am definitely a happier and less sarcastic me when I feel good about myself! You have been an inspiration with your WW journey!
This spoke to me so much because it’s exactly how I feel right now!!! I gained some weight going through grad school because I was so stressed out, and I know that messed with my metabolism. And since I did a 2 year program in 1 year while working full time (I was crazy), I gave up exercising and pretty much quit eating healthy and did lots of stress eating. So I understand exactly how you feel!! I have been working on incorporating more “real” and clean food in my diet and stopping when I am full instead of eating because it tastes good. I’m also working on eating more protein! Keep me updated on your progress!!
MeetTheShaneyfelts
Realizing that clean eating can still be so super yum is a bonus! The hardest for me is not getting frustrated when I don’t see immediate results. I’m hoping I’ll have some positive progress to share in the coming months….and hopefully wearing some shorts!
I have been there VERY recently. It is amazing even after a week of eating healthy and for fuel how different a person feels. I am really focusing on healthy habits as well and it can be a struggle. I was sick of waiting, and now I am putting in the work and I feel so much better. I thinking meal planning (including breakfast and lunch) is a HUGE help and having my family on board is also so helpful. Good luck Shelly, I will be thinking of you!
Meal planning my breakfast and lunch for the week is huge for me! I seriously just love food….even healthy food…but not having a plan is a sure pitfall for me. I will quickly justify some crappy food. I think it’s the most frustrating because I totally know exactly what I need to do…getting my head straight and staying focused is much harder. Let’s do this!!
Good luck with all of your lifestyle changes! It’s a lot to take on at once, so it’s wonderful you’re motivated to do it! 🙂 I used to use my jeans as an indicator for how things were going (as I don’t have any scales at home) but I find myself wearing them less and wearing stretchy skirts and dresses more, haha! have to be kind to myself post baby is my excuse 😉
Hope you are having a really good week so far.
Away From The Blue Blog
Knowing how much better I feel all the way around when I do these things is worth it. I definitely had to learn to love my body after 4 kids and accept it was never going to be the way it was before. And that is awesome you don’t have a scale! I keep mine put away and rarely hop on and use my clothes as the indicator too.
Good luck with your changes I’m trying to make some too so hopefully will be both get them done 🙂
Thanks Brittany! Becoming healthier is always in style right?
I know you’re pain. And the older you get, the harder it gets. It seems no matter how little, or how well I eat, or no matter how much I exercise, the weight just won’t budge anymore.
My doctor always tells me I’m “winning the battle” every year but it doesn’t feel like it. I think the hardest part is having the weight show up in places I’ve never had before (middle)….and knowing it’s not just how much I’m eating but what kinds of food I’m eating that will make the real difference. Definitely the toughest year I’ve had balancing it all out yet.
I’ve had to change my lifestyle too! We discussed this last month at dinner. Joining Weight Watchers has worked for me and of course I am IN LOVE with my StepBet. My first 6 week challenge is ending on Saturday! I will have completed the whole thing and I know it has helped me lose weight and get back into my smaller clothes. For me it was the fact I COULD NOT wear all my cute golf clothes. Those babies are expensive. I kid you not. So I started January 9 and to date I have lost 28 lbs. I feel fantastic! I even lost weight while Tay and I were on vacation! WAS I EVER PUMPED!! Keep up the good work Shelly! You look amazing but I know that even when people told me that….I had to believe in ME! PS….I think I have the website figured out and can see your new posts. 🙂
Yea! I’m so glad you figured it out! I need to check into this whole StepBet thing.
Love this post! I love your honesty about what brought you to the decision. I was the same way for several years, just feeling sorry for myself because I didn’t want to give up eating whatever I wanted. I’ve been eating healthy and making better choices since September and I’m SO glad I made that life change. I’ve enjoyed your Instastories about your meal prep!
Whitney @ Come Home For Comfort
We really do love food and going out to eat and trying new things is definitely one of our favorite dates! I’ve been justifying too many indulgences for too many months! Thankfully I do know how to fix it…I just need to get my head totally straight! You have done great on your journey Whitney and I loved hearing your story.
Love the honesty in this post. And I hear ya – the struggle is real! I’ve noticed the pounds creeping on, even though I’m doing the same things. Which I guess is the problem! Time to switch it up. I’m doing my best to make healthy choices and not look at the scale. I’m cheering for us :)!
Hey…if we could just stay the same things would get boring right? 🙂 Here’s to us!
I am right there with you Shelly! I started turning things around a couple of months ago – working out 4 times a week – but need to be more careful about what I eat. I am getting fitter but definitely not seeing the results I want – mostly because of what I am putting in my mouth. And losing weight at 46 certainly isn’t what it was at 26. Let’s do this!!! We can all support and hold each other accountable!
Yes!! I keep reminding myself I cannot exercise my way through a bag of tostitos!! Changing my eating is the only thing that gets the weight off in the places I really, really want it off. I almost grabbed a healthy snack last night at 10:30pm…what? Even though it was healthy I wasn’t really hungry for one and two…seriously was just going to pile on my rear. 🙂 I’m all for support and accountability!! We can do it!
I’ve been doing a lot of the same myself this year Shelly. Not with working out, because I love to work out, but definitely with my diet. I love me some carbs and I love me some sweets, so I struggle with keeping those things in check. I’ve started on my own little change in my diet for the last month and although not perfect, it’s progress! You’re so inspiring!!
Brooke
Pumps and Push-Ups
I love working out too Brooke…making it always a priority sometimes is my issue. Then I get lazy and it’s hard to go back because I know I won’t be as strong. Ugh..vicious cycle for sure! Cutting the sugar and the carbs has definitely made me feel like I have more energy!
Thanks for sharing your journey. Lord knows I have let myself go and I’m not happy in my own skin right now. I am starting to work on that as well. Prepping for Dancing with the Teachers is a start. I have to stop drinking my calories (so hard) and add more exercise to my everyday routine. I am going to get myself healthier, its a promise to myself.