Okay, so, really my current topic of discussion is:
Yaaaaaaaay……….🚩😐 Of course I have a reason, which I will get to in just a moment.
First of all, weight loss is a topic that may cause us to groan, get angry, become frustrated, and to scream and throw our bathroom scales out the window, right? 🪟
Unless we’ve been dedicated and lost weight, which, in that case, we cheer, celebrate, and claim victory!!! 🥳❣️
For now, let’s break it down a bit because the idea of “weight loss” comes in many forms:
Maybe it’s a goal that has been on our minds in the past, perhaps once or twice, OR it has consistently found its way onto our goal list EVERY year.
Maybe we simply love our bodies AS IS, so weight loss isn’t even a factor. Or maybe we think that it would be nice to lose some weight, but we have no clue how or where to start.
Maybe we have tracked our weight incessantly for years and it has haunted us daily as something we are always striving to do. OR it is (or no longer is) an issue because we have figured ourselves out and what works for us.
Maybe we are athletes/fitness models/bodybuilders that follow a strict regimen in order to fulfill our job, our cause, and/or our work at hand. **For these select beings, weight loss becomes a biochemistry art form, eating the proper nutrition to feed their bodies while also being able to get lean, shredded, and/or muscularly built for their purpose.
Maybe we are in the world of nutrition, fitness instruction, and/or coaching where we want to help others overcome weight loss struggles – – many times because we, ourselves have fought against it, realized what it takes to overcome this struggle, and wish to extend this powerful insight to others and help them on their wellness journeys.
Can you find yourself in one of these possibilities?
(A few definitely speak to me, that’s FOR SURE…..😬)
All I know is that weight loss has such a simple concept that can be so sneaky and complicated to execute. Otherwise we would all have our ideal body right now and be done with it, right?????
So, I’m sure that we all have heard these bullet points in various ways:
-move more, eat less
-abs are made in the kitchen
-find a small calorie deficit (eating less calories that you are using)
-exercise and incorporate resistance training into workouts to build lean body mass and improve metabolism
-eat whole foods MORE and eat processed foods, sugars, treats LESS (or not at all, depending on who is speaking)
And so on…
Which is great that we know these things! Yet, the whole “applying them to our daily life” thing can be an entirely different ball game, so to speak.
🤓😆
I would like to offer two insights on this topic today, for both you and me. Some things to keep in mind and also something that might be interesting to try and see if it helps us in any way.
Before I explain further, I would like to tell you the new update on my knee. I believe my second ACL Reconstructive surgery on my left knee will be in early Spring. Once the surgery scheduler calls me, I can discuss an exact date. Which means that I have about a three-month countdown until this ginormous undertaking of surgery and then a 9-12 month recovery. And then some.
So, why is weight loss on my mind? Well, back when I was dancing professionally, I was incredibly active and working out every single day in addition to my dance performances. I was doing what I loved, making my dreams come true, and I was happy and so fulfilled. Food truly was fuel and I found it easy to commit to a strict regimen of healthy foods in order to dance at my best. When you reach your dreams, you want to do everything in your power to hold onto it as long as possible.
Here is a fun photo of my life as a cruise ship dancer (possibly a repeat from a prior post but I love these people!!) with one of the best casts in the world:
Second row, on the far left, that was me!!! And I had ABS?!?!?!?? Wow….that feels like ages ago, seriously. Almost like I don’t recognize that girl in the photo. 🥸
That was when my cruise ship career first began, in 2011. I managed to hold onto my cruise ship dance dreams for two more years before my first knee injury and then one more year of dance before a second knee injury that completely took me out.
Since 2014, I developed a fear and an insecurity that I never had before. It continued past the ending of my dance career and it has continued to linger and grow. It didn’t help that I have had 5 knee surgeries in 7 years, from 2013 through 2019.
And you know what else was growing?? ME. With the slow creep of weight, due to a combination of sadness and depression, being injured and laid up for months, and therefore being unable to move well or exercise for long periods of time.
I am definitely an emotional eater and my stress levels were sometimes uncontrollable because of the layering of all of these things. I know it had nothing to do with food and everything to do with me and how I was feeling- – eating to fill the void in my life where dance used to live. And over the course of these seven years, I gained about 20 extra pounds.
I know, puppy, I know…..🙈😉
And that’s where my weight has stayed ever since, fluctuating a bit, but always going back to that 20-pound mark above my athletic weight. See, I still work out and train a lot, so I won’t let myself go too far above that….yet I haven’t been able to get the right mindset to go very far below it either.
When I think about carrying a 20-pound kettlebell (of fat…..an appetizing image, I know!! 🤪) with me everywhere I go, with everything that I’m doing to help my damaged knee, I can imagine that this extra weight isn’t exactly helping either of my compromised knees, you know?
In any case, here I am, awaiting yet another big surgery, and between now and April 2021, I want to create the strongest possible foundation for my mind, my body, and especially my legs before getting the surgery. Yes, I have been dedicated to my training since early 2020, back when I thought my surgery was going to be in April 2020. However, I believe that my body wasn’t ready for surgery last year anyways so the timing and postponement actually worked out in my favor. It gave me the time to build increased strength, balance, and stability in my body that it so desperately needed. Which I will continue to do for the next three months until my surgery, of course!
However, now feels like the point of no return. I have three months and I know that losing some excess weight would be so helpful for my body now AND ESPECIALLY for my recovery.
So, where to start, right??? We already know the “weight loss bullet points” – – we discussed them earlier in this post – – so we’ve got that. However, here are a couple things that I am keeping in mind while heading in this direction.
#1) We’re looking for weight loss (or fat loss, more appropriately) not “wait” loss.
What do I mean by this???
Well, it’s so easy to want to rush and cut corners in order to lose some weight, you know?? For me, I used to get so impatient when I wasn’t seeing loads of results! And, for example, I would try a juice cleanse or lots of sauna time in order to move the scale along a bit faster. See, I had a loss of patience and a loss of my ability to wait and trust the process…..hence, I had “wait” loss and it definitely did not serve me or make things easier in the long run.
Here is what I am reminding myself in order to avoid my “wait” loss mentality:
There is no “easy” road to weight loss!!!! As lovely as it would be to have a quick fix THAT LASTS, it rarely happens. And that part about it LASTING is super important.
We can set a weight goal, cut back on our calories, exercise like maniacs, and meet that goal. Or eat 500 calories a day or only eat grapefruit every single day and also meet that goal weight. BUT THEN, what often happens? We go back to eating the foods that we really enjoy – – the ones that were originally cut out of our diet in order to lose the weight in the first place – – so then, of course, the weight starts creeping back on.
Why is this so common?
Because often we see the end goal as “getting to that goal weight” without looking beyond it to how we’re going to keep that weight off. I don’t know about you, but only eating 500 calories a day or only eating grapefruit every day sounds like a HARD and an unhealthy lifestyle to adopt. As in, for the rest of our lives. So, why do we put ourselves through it when we are well aware that it is a diet choice and not a lifestyle choice?
Because we WANT a quick fix, right? We want to see the scale move and see instant results. I totally get it. I have BEEN THERE. However, it usually is not sustainable and it costs us our valuable time that often takes us right back to square one. Diet after diet….after diet.
Yes, we totally want to commit to our visions and embrace the “whatever it takes” mentality! AND, at the same time, it is really helpful to also ask ourselves what we plan to do once we have reached our goal weight (or goal physique or pant size) because a huge part of this accomplishment is keeping the weight off after all of that dedication and hard work.
THEREFORE, what would it take for us to pledge to make healthy choices while still incorporating foods that we love, trust the process, and set our sights (and our nutrition plans) beyond our ideal weight/fat percentage/clothing size?
That sounds like a pretty solid step #1 to me!!!! To figure out the blueprint that might work the best for us. What would it take?? 🤔
#2) I read something a few years ago that stuck with me, yet I never really applied it to my life and my fitness/weight loss journey.
The idea behind it examines the words “I want to lose weight.” And I wish that I remember who said this….I promise to give them credit as soon as I remember!!!…. however, this person asked “what do we do when we lose our phone, our wallet, our car keys, or a credit card?” We go searching for it until we find it, right?
Well, this person explained that it can be the same for weight loss. As soon as we lose weight, our body feels the need to search for those missing pounds until they are retrieved BECAUSE we call it “losing weight.” Like ‘lost and found,’ you know?
Therefore, this person helped clients lose weight by simply having them shift their speech to “I release the weight that I no longer need.” Because when we release something, we let it go and it does not need to come back to sender.
Something I have learned along the way is WORDS MATTER. So, perhaps I shall try shifting my speech and thinking about weight loss as the release of weight that I no longer need. And I definitely don’t need some of these extra 20 pounds!!!!!! I RELEASE THEM AND LET THEM GO!!!
Super interesting, right?? Please feel free to try it or share it or both!!!!!! Why not, right?? It doesn’t get much simpler than that. 😊
And on that note, I shall wrap up for today and chat with you more next week about this WEIGHT RELEASE process for me in Part 2. Let’s see if, together, we can examine other possible ways to be successful with our nutrition and our wellness journeys. And how we might be able to make small but mighty changes in order to create the most beneficial and productive path towards all of the visions we have and beyond.
Bye bye “wait” loss and hello PROGRESS AND LASTING RESULTS!!
Take care and I will see you next week!! 💖