Before I launch into the hard work topic, let me say that I've been examining what I've been doing along the way and looking at things I need to change in order to make additional progress possible.
One thing I am changing is the level of commitments I make that involve typing and being on the computer. When I first started, I figured I needed all sorts of motivation and support, and every tool that I could find to make me accountable. Being over 400 pounds can make you feel that way. LOL
So I started logging my food online, logging my exercise on fitmile, joined all sorts of body building and weight loss message boards and groups. In addition, I have my blog here and committed to posting weekly fitness updates and monthly progress reports and pics.
I started noticing a few things - like how many hours a day I was spending typing and keeping these various online commitments. If you are spending more time online posting about exercise than you are actually exercising-- then you may need to take a second look at how you spend your time. LOL
I have made some decisions...... I love keeping my blog and reading the blogs of weight loss friends I have met here, so giving that up is out of the question. But I will no longer post my food online, nor be as regular with posting on the weight lifting boards.
I keep a body minder journal which I LOVE. A lot of times, when I eat, I am not near a computer, so I write everything down in there. It also has space to record your cardio, gym works outs, mileage for running or walking, etc.
There's no point in my writing everything down and then going online and typing it again. Eating right has gotten to a point where that is not my biggest challenge. I am not saying it is easy, but it certainly isn't the issue it once was.
I will continue to use Fitmile to record my daily exercise. I have the widget for it on here so it enables my friends to see what I did for my last workout. But that's it.
There are two things that brought about this decision to scale back on the computer time. One is, when I was sick with that flu and COULDN'T get out of bed to post on the gazillion things I normally posted on-- I realized how NUMEROUS these daily postings were, how time-consuming. When I was sick and COULDN'T do it, I realized that far from helping my journey, that these things had become too much of a pressure to do things that actually deter me from real activities that actually would further my goals, such as an extra walk or some yard work or housework that would not only get me moving but improve my home life as well.
Too many online support systems can actually have the opposite effect and dilute your focus on yourself. It can be a way of avoiding actual work. And so, it's my blog and the DailyMile for my regular routine. On the body builder sites I will only post monthly updates from now on.
Now onto my original topic that I wanted to get into today -- facing the hard work. I can understand why people with vast amounts of weight to lose often give up before they reach their goals.
At 400-plus pounds, to walk literally only 1/2 a block really knocked me on my ass. I can do 3 miles now without a prob, but of course this takes longer than walking half a block. When you're really heavy, you can put half-ass effort into exercise and so long as the calories are in check, you'll lose weight for sure.
But as time passes and an activity becomes easier, we cannot stay in that comfort zone and expect to continue having the same progress. When it's time to increase the weights we're lifting, or increase the miles we're walking or the speed at which we run-- there's a tendency, especially among those of us coming from a really high weight, to not want to do it.
I'm completely back from the flu and realizing that I have not been working at potential. Both time and intensity-wise, I need to do more! That's one thing that led to the time management stuff I posted about above. I need to spend more time exercising and less time writing about exercising.
I realized months ago that my metabolism isn't what it used to be at age 20 or 30. I WON'T get to goal exercising like I did back then. I have to work harder and eat better than I did back then to weigh what I did back then. Yeah, that really sucks ass!
Anyway, in the beginning, I was working out with the Biggest Loser Boot Camp DVD and some Jillian Michaels DVDs, and when I upped the mileage I was walking and started the ChaLEAN program, I gave myself permission to stop doing the other workouts.
So I started using them again this week, while I continue the walking, the ChaLEAN Extreme, PLUS I still go to the gym two or three times a week. Every time I reach a point where I need to make a change and up the intensity, I seem to go through a sulky period of resentment over how hard I must work and I have a lot of inner resistance to leaving the comfort zone.
If I can push myself through that, then I am able to apply myself and really focus-- that's where I am now and it was so hard to get myself here. The more I lose, the heavier I lift, the farther I walk- the harder it is to push myself to the next level when I start to plateau.
In no time at all we'll be ending 2009 and starting a new year. I really want to work my ass off and end 2009 with as much progress as I can manage to pull off. So this is where I am at. I WILL be posting my weekly fitness numbers at the end of the week and next week it'll be time for the monthly progress report and pics.
Thanks for being here my friends. Reading your blogs helps me and I appreciate all of you putting yourselves out there. Be good to you today!
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