Challenge – Week 2

It’s amazing the difference a week can make. And it’s amazing what planning and preparing can do. After failing at week 1 I was so determined to do good in week 2 that I started a day early. The main reason I did this was knowing how busy I was going to be at the end of the week that I needed to plan for an extra rest day. And it worked! I haven’t weighed myself (because I am addicted to the scales so I’m not going to weigh myself until week 4 check-in) but I can feel a difference which is great!

Portion distortion

I have made quite a few poor food choices lately. I am making myself accountable and looking inward as to why I am doing this as I am seeing it reflected on the scales and in the mirror. I keep meaning to take some progress photos so I can see if I have really put on weight but haven’t got around to it. I have a long weekend this weekend so I will have no reason not to. But even this photo comparison won’t be accurate as my last photo was taken at the end of Maxine’s Challenge and therefore am carb depleted and a little dehydrated (thanks to Paul for reminding me of this on Instagram – follow his blog at http://paulblogs.com.au). I will still take my photo this weekend.

I’m well aware of the food choice I have been making and the ones I should be making. I am not happy with myself that I am not focusing on clean eating but I am not going to beat myself up about it because I know I will get back on track. I am looking at this as a learning opportunity and one thing that has stood out to me is food portions.

Nutritional intelligence

I wouldn’t call myself a yo-yo dieter but I have gained and lost the same 10kg a couple of times. But the main way I have always done this has been through exercise. Because working out for an hour is a lot easier than controlling what you eat the other 23 hours of the day. In saying that, it took me a long time to learn that you can’t out exercise a bad diet.

In May 2013 I signed up for the Michelle Bridges 12wbt and lost 6kg. During this 12 week challenge I would eat well during the week but still eat my chocolate at night (because I deserved it, didn’t I?) and still eat fast food on the weekends. It took me a long time to realise how I viewed food. I was the fussiest kid growing up and never ate fresh fruit and vegetables. I had no problems eating packaged food, especially anything with sugar. Sugar is my weakness. But my brain is so twisted that I will say no to fruit because it can be high in sugar but give me chocolate or cake and I’ll take it! I understand the importance of fuelling my body with whole foods but I still choose packaged foods first.

In July 2014 I signed up for the Maxine’s Challenge and lost 8kg. During this 12 week challenge I ate clean for 6 weeks until my bad habits started creeping in. And that was when I realised I needed to change my relationship with food. I can be an emotional eater. I do see food as a reward. I do give in to cravings for instant gratification. Once I admitted this I was more aware of when and why I made poor food choices. I still made them but at least I was aware of what was going on and I felt like that was a step in the right direction. Then the challenge ended and my treat meal turned into a treat week. I wasn’t the only challenger to fall down this slippery slope but they all commented about how they felt tired and sluggish from eating crap. I was finding the junk didn’t taste as good but I didn’t feel any difference in my body from eating it. To me that proves how little I understand about how the foods I eat fuels my body.

I need to learn about the importance of whole foods and stop my reliance on packaged foods and then I will know that I have finally made a lifestyle change and not just one for 12 weeks. Because once I understand nutrition I will be able to tailor it to suit me and my active lifestyle.

Fuel your body

What I have found so far:
nutritional intelligence is the key to make this my lifestyle change
you can’t out exercise a bad diet
being fussy doesn’t have to mean being unhealthy
don’t confuse hunger with thirst
food is not a reward
not all fats and carbs are bad
sugar is my weakness
portion sizes are a lot smaller than I ever thought
don’t feed your emotions and don’t let hunger turn into hanger
eat a small meal every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism going
failure to plan is planning to fail

Change begins at the end of your comfort zone

When my alarm went off this morning all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. But I know I prefer to get my exercise out of the way in the morning so I have more time after work to relax or fit in another workout if I want. I never used to train in the morning but halfway through Maxine’s’ Challenge I made the shift and loved how much time it gave me after work. They say it takes 21 days to make a new habit. I really struggled at first but I found that the more it became my new routine. It was hard work to make the change but I now believe it’s better to wake up and workout than to go back to sleep because really what is another hour of sleep really worth?

It still took quite a few minutes to convince myself to get out of my comfy bed and hit the gym but I just had to remind myself that by the time I would fall asleep again my alarm would probably go off so it was better to just it out of the way. And once I was at the gym I hit beast mode and had a great strength training session which got the endorphins pumping and put me in a great mood for the rest of the day!