I will be honest, the hardest thing I am currently struggling with is my core, post preggo belly. Being pregnant does a serious number on a belly and mine was no exception. My belly took 9 months to stretch that big (you know to fit that almost 11lb baby!) so I know it will take longer than a few months to really get it where I want it. It won't be an instant transformation but it's still my biggest hang up. I know this will take time and the best thing I can do is to keep pushing myself and keeping giving my body the nutrition it needs.
This brings me to my next point about how I have decided to fuel my body. So I started this journey with the idea to "eat clean" meaning I would eat all healthy clean foods all week with only one "cheat meal" a week. A cheat meal being fast food, ice cream or any junk really. This was a great idea at first but then I realized this just didn't feel balanced. I don't like the idea behind fad diets and this was starting to feel that way because I was attaching guilt with food and thinking about what I ate WAY to much. The cheat meal actually made me feel worse because I had not eaten those types of foods but once a week so my body was rejecting it. Almost like if you gave up meat for a few months in the fall and then Thanksgiving rolled around and you ate a plate of turkey. You would feel bloated, sick, and just awful. I also felt that if I ate any "bad foods" during the week that were not my ONE allowed cheat meal that I would need to work that much harder to work it off because I cheated on my cheat. Ugh, how did I get here!? Why was I beating myself up over FOOD!?! I have made worse decisions in my life that deserved more guilt than the ill feelings I was attaching to food!
So last week I decided I needed a new plan. My workouts were becoming predictable for my body and my idea of "food" was all messed up for my liking. I mean for the first time in my life I bought organic low calorie ice cream! This was a pivotal turning point because I have always associated ice cream with POSITIVE feelings like summer time, family outings, laughter, smiles, and pure deliciousness. Buying organic low calorie ice cream somehow took all these wonderful feelings away. I was stripping away the meaning behind all those memories and making it something that had to be enjoyed in a low calorie portion control size way. Yuck..this is NOT me! This made me realize that I don't want to be one of those girls who reaches their physique goals and says "I got this body by eating sweet potatoes, chicken and veggies for 6 months with the occasional diet ice cream treat." Yes I am sure it works but that is just unrealistic to maintain long term without creating a new warped view on food and your body. Plus, I don't see that as inspiring and one of my goals is to be an inspiring person! I need a routine that allows me to enjoy my workouts, enjoy the benefits of healthy eating but also enjoy all those GREAT, no nutritional, high sugar, high fat, pop the button off your pants food. So I sat down, did more research and thus my new plan was born...
NEW PLAN:
Put simply- Meet my daily macro's and micro's (ex: my fiber, sodium and potassium) to the best of my ability that day. Meet them through primarily healthy balanced foods but if I have a few days of "bad" foods in the mix I know I can still get my nutritional needs from those foods as well. "Bad" foods contain macros/micros too! Does your body know the difference between plain boiled chicken vs. chicken from a plate of chicken enchiladas?! Nope, your body will still utalize the protein, carbs, fats, fiber, etc from whatever foods you eat! Granted if you only ate mexican food for lunch each day for your source of protein (for example) you would still get all the high fats, simple carbs, and high sodium amounts that come along with it. That would not be the best daily choice but it's not a total waste when you do eat it here and there! So the overall goal is to still choose healthy foods but to enjoy all the other ones along the way as well. The fitness world calls this Flexible Dieting. I dig the concept but not the name. Again, we have dieting in the title which just rubs me the wrong way. I don't want to diet my way to my goals. I want to find my balance!
I am really loving MyFitnessPal app because it allows me to see the breakdown of everything I am eating. I notice a direct correlation between my water intake and bloating. My weekends are so busy that I never drink as much water as I need and I tend to feel bloated and more tired the next day because my body didn't get that water! Also, I have noticed on days when I crave salty foods all day it is usually because I haven't had nearly enough sodium the previous day or that current day. I tailored my calories to my goals through "If It Fits Your Macros" and then applied that in MyFitnessPal. It's great! It gives you your daily macros for whatever your goals are (weight loss, weight gain, or maintaining weight). It's been super helpful for me and understand what my body needs.
NEW WORKOUTS:
Day 1: Glutes & Back
Day 2: Chest & Shoulders
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Arm Circut
Day 5: Yoga or Long Walk with the Family
*Abs workouts when I feel like incorporating them
WEEK 3: Starting to see arm progress..yay!
WEEK 4:
Smiling because my workout is OVER (it was a tough circuit!) and it's pool time with my favorite little gal!
You look AMAZING! I really like your new eating plan! We've been trying to do something similar. I'm just so stuck in my old habits..
ReplyDeleteThank you! Have you tried just changing one meal at a time. So for example switch out your breakfast for awhile. It helps you get in a pattern, but slowly so you don't feel overwhelmed by all these new eating habits and all. Also, the family doesn't "fight" it as much if you do a meal at a time and ease everyone into it. That seemed to help us and now I just can't see eating regular pancakes or syrup on my french toast. We have transformed our mornings so that we CRAVE the good stuff :)
DeleteYour meal plans look yummy though!!