With the end of the year on the horizon it's only natural that we all start reflecting on the year we've had. I've been doing the same and can honestly say that I've had such a good year.
I usually get to this time of year and start to feel a bit down, mainly because I regret having not done something about my weight...again, nothing more depressing than another year passing and feeling full of regret. It was feeling like that this time last year that had me make a promise to myself that I was going to make some big changes, determined to not let another year pass and feel like a failure. I am so glad that I did and that I kept that promise to myself. This year, I am finishing the year on a high, feeling full of hope and determination for next year.
Getting started was the easy part, like most diets, you start out full of good intentions and motivation. I started with Slimming World in January and I went in all gung-ho. Things went well for the first couple of months, I changed up what I was eating and started doing some light exercise and the scales started to drop. But a couple of months in and I could feel my resolve start to slip. The scale weight loss started to slow down and I found myself sat in the weekly meetings feeling demotivated. Something just didn't feel right. The class leader encouraged everyone to set goals, which in principle is a good idea, however, encouraging people to lose 8-6-4 lbs a week felt unrealistic and unsustainable. I could feel the old slimming-club-slump setting in and knew that if I didn't do something about it I would find myself back at square one again.
Through a recommendation I got in touch with a local group training set-up called Transformation Team Training (TTT). It was when I joined them that I felt like something clicked. Which is really the whole point of this post. Rather than preaching that strength and conditioning training and flexible eating is the best thing since sliced bread (which it is btw lol) I wanted to talk about some of the things I've learned and why this time it feels different and right. As well as offer some of my own pearls of wisdom.
Keeping yourself motivated...
This is the biggie! It is inevitable that there will be peaks and troughs no matter what your goal is. Sometimes motivation comes easy, you don't even need to push yourself, other times its like wading through sinking sand. It's when things get tough that you need to dig deep and remind yourself why you started all of this in the first place. And I've had those moments this year, when things get slow/static and you feel like you are getting nowhere and you feel beyond frustrated with yourself. Sometimes just feeling like you cant be bothered...when I'm feeling like that I ask myself two questions.
- Are you happy with where you are?
- Do you want to go back to where you came from?
Find something that you actually enjoy...
This has a lot to do with motivation as well. I've done pretty much every diet and exercise class on the market. Weight Watchers, Scottish Slimmers, Slimming World, cabbage soup diet, 5:2, the body coach... the list is loooong! You name it, I've tried it. And i'm not going to criticise these clubs, people have great success with them. The problem for me was that I didn't enjoy them, or I went into them without really educating myself about why I was doing what I was doing. Its only now that I understand more about nutrition and my own mindset around food that I understand why they didn't work for me.
Being on diet that perpetuates the notion of certain foods being off-limit and bad for me had me going so far along to the other end of the spectrum that I would eliminate certain foods and I would find myself getting bored with what I was eating. This meant that for me it was unsustainable and I would eventually fall off the wagon and end up back where I started and often even heavier than I was. Using the info that my coaches provide me, along with doing my own research, and seeking to find out more about my own food triggers, I now have a much better understanding of nutrition and the impact it has on body composition and fuelling the body for training. I need the flexibility for a varied diet, where I don't feel like certain foods are a no-no. I am having much better success these days because I have educated myself and I am working on getting rid of the guilt I used to feel around eating certain foods.
My advice is this, if you find yourself jumping from diet to diet, looking for a quick fix, or you continually find yourself re-joining a slimming club then its time to stop and figure out why what you've been doing hasn't worked for you yet. Don't keep doing what you've been doing or you will end up with the same results. (I know some wise person said this!). And do some research, ask lots of questions and educate yourself!
As far as exercise goes, again, find something that you actually enjoy. I've learned that I need to feel like I am making progress for me to stick with an exercise program, which is why I love the strength and conditioning program at TTT. If you hate your regular exercise routine then why do it, go out and try something new!
"You can't out train a bad diet"
I am quoting one of the coaches I work with the very first time I met them. This is something that has stuck with me throughout this year. Making changes to your body composition requires balance, consistency and building sustainable habits. Nutrition and training work hand in hand, and when they are working together that is where you find progress.
My advice is find a nutritionist/coach/PT/source of knowledge and advice who will be up front and honest with you, and who will work with you to find out out what is going to work for you rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. If something doesnt' feel right then change it. A good coach is one who is as invested in your progress as you are. Don't settle for anything less.
Scales are the source of all evil...
You've probably heard this one before, but its one I really stand by. Don't let the scales be your only progress indicator or your main goal. For so long, I let the scales be the sole factor in determining how I was progressing. They have also been a source of frustration and have had a big hand in me ditching the diet and reaching for the family size bag of crisps to make me feel better in the past.
I had this idea in my mind at the start of this year that I wanted to get to the same weight as I was 6 years ago. Now, at the moment I am wearing the same size of clothes as I was when I was a stone and a half lighter. This just illustrates the point that scales don't take account of your body composition. Don't rely on the scales to be your sole compass in deciding how you are progressing. I still use the scales as part of my measurements, but I also take pictures, various body measurements, take note of how my clothes feel, my moods, how I feel physically day-to-day.
Having goals that are non-scale related are a great motivator. Especially when you feel like things might be slowing down. Focusing instead on how I feel when I am training, being able to do exercises which felt impossible in the beginning which I am now able to do with good form, reflecting on how I am progressing with the amount I can lift in sessions, these are all massive achievements. Don't let the scale diminish your achievements in any way.
So whats the plan for the next 12 months?
That's an easy one to answer...
Keep up the consistency
Keep educating myself
Keep putting in the effort
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