93 days ago I made a committment.
Again.
My physical health has gone in cycles historically. If you’ve been here long enough, you’re well aware. I get big and unhealthy and unhappy and then I get HARDCORE about getting healthy again! So where am I right now?
April of 2019 I was the heaviest I’d ever been. Like, jaw-droppingly heavy (for me). Then, the switch flipped and I lost about 45 pounds in the next five months. At the end of August I hurt my back and it through everything off. I started making bad choice after bad choice and before you know it, I had regained a ton of the weight I had lost. I was embarrassed and frustrated and, honestly, somewhat hopeless.
Covid hit in March and shut everything down. You remember. I was at home all day every day and I had a choice to make. Would I just become bigger and more immobile? Or would I concentrate on my health again?
So, back on April 6th, I started again. I had gained all but about 10 pounds back.
The most helpful thing for me might sound dumb to you. I started an account on TikTok (@HealthyOneHanded) and every morning I give a one-minute update. I do a weigh-in and give a short report about the previous day and then talk about whatever else is on my mind. Sometimes I voice my frustration (June was a rough month!). Sometimes I talk about what’s been helpful for me lately.
It’s helped me to be consistent. Regardless of whether the day before was “good or bad,” I get on and talk about it. Because even though hundreds of people have joined my journey, these little videos are still ultimately for me. To keep me on track.
My focus over the last 93 days has been pretty simple. No official plan or program. Just eating better food and less of it while being active every day. That’s it. I use the Lose It! app on my phone to track what I eat and hit my calorie goals for the day (quality of the calories matters just as much as the quantity, just FYI) and I go for walks behind my house pretty much every day. I’ve been trying to be more consistent about doing more high-intensity workouts, but that’s still not where I want it to be.
Just by doing those few things, I’m back down 25+ pounds and on my way to where I’d like to maintain. If I continue the trajectory I’ve been on, I should hit my target weight in a couple months. But honestly, this is more of a long game for me than it’s ever been before.
June was tough, like I mentioned earlier. I lost about a pound and a half when my goal was to lose 6-8. That was really frustrating. But also, JUNE WAS BANANAS. I’m able to recognize that and be patient with myself. I decided not to weigh myself at all in July and just focus on eating healthy and working out/strength training and then we’ll see what happens on the scale come August 1st. I’ve also noticed my clothes are fitting better, which is probably an even better gauge of success than the number on the scale.
So, that’s where I am right now. I’m happy with how far I’ve come. I’m happy with the systems I have in place. I’m happy with the ideas I have for moving forward. I’m grateful for the encouragers in my life.
Tomorrow I’ll share what I’ve found to be most helpful so far for me and hopefully some of it will resonate with you, too!
