Last year I took a planned break from exercise and eating regime. I had been 100% on task for 11 months and I decided a break was what I needed.
I thought it would do me good - and in a way it did. I just got discouraged afterward at how long it took me to lose the weight I had put on. I also got frustrated at how much I had to back pedal at the gym, especially with weights.
This last year, the entire freaking year, has been - gain, lose, gain. lose and recently gain and now losing. Started the year around 184, got down to 175 back up a bit, dow to 165, up to 175, then up to 185, then down to 174 and now back up to 183 and working my way down (currently 182).
Some of the ups and downs were injury related, Some were just getting lax. Some was vacation stuff. But this year, even though I didn't intend it to be, was very much a "how will this go the rest of my life". Up and down and up and down.
I tend to have big swings on the scale. My body reacts quite strongly to eating carbs. So it can climb up 10 pounds in a week with most of it being water weight. Unfortunately, it doesn't come off as quickly (usually). I know it's not all fat as I can see the swelling in my feet and I keep a tally on the calories in, but big, wild swings will probably be the name of the game for the rest of my life.
As I've had a year to see where my body likes to settle and where my eating habits are concerned and exercise habits go, I'm thinking for realistic measures, between 160-170 will be my maintenance range. Hoping to keep it around 165. That's a good, realistic weight for me. Should be a maintainable weight too. We'll see how it goes, but I am more wanting to work on body fat percentage. I want to real shoot for 25% which I think, with exercise and working out I should be there at/around 165.
To do that though, I absolutely do not want to take a break in December. So far so good with holiday parties, etc. We have already had one party - and I didn't go crazy. I didn't take a break day for my birthday (had yummy swordfish with a pomegranate green peppercorn reduction with a pomegranate salsa with a side of steamed broccoli). This weekend we have another party, and I will not go crazy and I do not plan to do a lot of baking this year. I am doing one big bake off today and probably one next week - that's it.
I want to start the year not up on the scale, but DOWN so that I can start the year not having to go even further than I need to go from here. Right now, I have 17 pounds to get to 165. I don't want to make that 20 or 25 pounds!
So, no holiday breaks this year. This year was the year of breaks and enough of that!
Tomorrow, I'll detail my plan a bit.
Scale 182.4
That, in my experience, has been the definition of maintenance. Gaining and losing, while working at the variables to isolate it into a tighter window and more easily controlled cycle. Our bodies and nutritional aren't stable over time, so it's just a state of awareness and adjustment as needed. It is narrowing the feedback loop so that the swings are 2-5 pounds instead of 5-10 that can be super tricky! Like you, I'm just mentally fed up with what lax eating nets me. I have a plan I enjoy an the returns on straying from it have diminished to the point that choosing to stay on plan for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and this entire Christmas season has been comparably easy.
ReplyDeleteBut getting to the point of contentment with this and not wanting junk, that has been a much slower and longer process. Getting to the point of complete mental peace has been very freeing, but it took a LOT of those five and ten pound swings to get there. Progress, not perfection, right? ;)