There are no magic bullets. If only.
See over the holidays I managed to gain 14 pounds. So not only did I have my normal overweight-weight to lose but all of the cookies, wine and other indulgences that I really enjoyed at the time. That was even gained while working out a few times a week. This is the impact all of my yo-yo dieting in the past has done to my metabolism. When your metabolism is in good shape in such a scenario you will still gain weight but probably not as much. Certainly I could have been working out more consistently over the holidays but truly what I could have been doing is making better choices without feeling like I am missing out. A great quote that I read in a magazine recently that has stuck in my mind is, "You can't out-exercise a bad diet". Too true. Well I mean you probably could but you would be really fatigued! Plus you would have no time to live your life and most importantly, enjoy it.
So feeling discouraged, I asked Nicole after my Tuesday strength-training class, "Is there a way just to go hardcore for a while and get rid of my holiday weight gain then go back to the healthy eating I am doing right now?" She smiled at me and said, "Nope!" My face fell, I was hoping to get some insider tips and tricks. She explained, "I know some things that you could do but I am not going to tell you what they are. If it is a habit of yours to go crazy at Christmas or other pitfalls during the year and I tell you how to make up for it, you are going to continue that same behavior and be stuck in a bad cycle." I thanked her, knowing she was right and left wondering how I am going to achieve my fitness goals just by eating right, writing down my daily nutrition and exercising. I still was feeling unsure that it wasn't enough and there had to be something more I could do but yet her words were still sticking with me.
Hmm, I mused to myself. How am I going to get to where I want to go with two months left? How am I going to continue on my right path after this is over?
That night I went to a friend's house for dinner, she made chicken tacos. I was running around busy and knew I needed to get another snack in and grabbed a few pieces of Trader Joe's deli turkey an hour before I went over there but it wasn't enough. So when I got there I snacked on chips and when the food was ready I made two huge tacos with flour tortillas. Granted it wasn't like they were doused in oil or anything but I realized the next day my error in not preparing. I should have made the time to make a healthy snack so I wouldn't have been as hungry at her house. I should have also brought my own whole wheat ones, she is my friend after all so she wouldn't have been offended.
Self-discipline when it comes to food is very difficult for me, especially in social situations. Superbowl? Had every intention of eating right and had done so all the way up to when I got to my friend's house. With the tri-tip, cookies, homemade chips and guac a plenty I surrendered. I didn't drink anything though and probably would have eaten worse had I been inebriated. Do I have to stop eating out and socializing because it is too difficult to resist temptation? That isn't realistic for anyone.
Of course there are going to be times where I let myself enjoy whatever- I just need to keep those times fewer and farther between. If I don't let myself enjoy tempting foods every once in a while I won't get anywhere. The key to it is always having a vision of the end game stuck in my head. If I don't have my eye on the prize of course I am going to succumb.
I also need to really take a closer look at what I am eating every day. Can I be honest with myself and say I am doing everything I should be doing?Truthfully I should completely phase out egg yolks at least for a while. I could pay closer attention to how much olive oil I am using and count every time I reach for a square of chocolate because they all add up. These are the little tweaks I can make to the healthy choices I am already making that will make a difference. Most importantly I need to always have snacks with me so I never get hungry, I have been told when we are hungry our body is telling us it is starving. No bueno. I need to do a little more self-check in. None of these things are drastic, just having a little more consciousness.
So the truth is, I can be my own worst enemy and I can be my best magic bullet. At the end of the day it is a matter of having keeping my goal top of mind and the self-discipline to accomplish it.
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