Friday, February 10, 2017

On-the-go gear is essential when prioritizing eating healthy

Fueling my body, not just feeding it, was key to my previous 165-pound weight loss. Half the battle to fueling rather than feeding is in the food prep, making sure my calories are good calories that keep me fueled throughout the day, even when I'm on the go.

This breakfast station facilitates morning fuel time
Last time, I learned portion control through strict adherance to Nutrisystem for a couple of months, until I had figured out the routine and researched plenty of homemade meal options to keep going on an 1,800-calorie diet for am extended period of time. Skipping Nutrisystem, this time I am heading into a healthy, portion-controled, calorie-restricted diet straight away.

To help me get back on track this time around, I have purchased some to-go salad and bento meal containers for packing lunch and snacks, to keep me fueled at work, at the gym or on the trail. I've also organized my cabinets into ready prep stations.

Tupperware is my go-to brand for this, for reasons I'll explain in a future post. But suffice to say the product mix suits the goals of my fit life today.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Time to get out of this rut and back into the gym

This blog started out as The Fitness 400 Project. I changed the name after losing a significant amount of weight and entering maintenance mode. Part of me didn't want to be reminded of the fact that I once topped the scales at more than 400 pounds. Part of me was embarassed to be reminded of the fact. But another part of me didn't want to give it a name for fear that I might return to that weight again.

That nightmare scenario is one I'm currently at severe risk of living. I went to the doctor last week after hurting once again my already chronically hurt ankle, and the number on the scale shook me. 392. Damn. How the mighty have fallen.

I felt mighty back when I was losing weight several years ago. I felt mighty not because of the numbers of the scale so much, though. I felt mighty because I was strong and sprite. I was working out, and I was hiking to great heights. I felt almost invincible entering my 40s after having really gone downhill in my late 30s.

Fortunately, I know what I need to do to get back on track. My excuses are nothing more than conditions in which I find myself, conditions that I can decide to get myself out of.

I'm doing that, little by little. And I'm making healthy steps in the foods that I eat, even if I haven't gotten back on track with my exercise.

That's where I find myself now. I have joined a gym nearby, but I haven't gone yet. Excuse. I've been making plenty of them in lieu of actually making a decision to go. But I'm going to stop all that now by setting a goal for myself that is easy enough to comply with.

Tomororrow, I will go to the gym to stretch and do six exercises. That's it. It will take all of 30 minutes, and I may do more if I'm up to it. But I'm giving myself permission to start slowly and get back into the groove at my own pace.

Further, my goal is to do at least 6 exercises for at least 30 minutes four days per week for the next two weeks. That's eight visits to the gym that I'm committing to. After that, we'll see how I feel.