Consistency or Cutting Carbs?
My jeans are finally fitting better.
I haven’t made an effort to lose weight since I trained for my RKC weekend. I’m generally pretty comfortable in my body (most of the time) but over the last year as we traveled I ate more calories than than I burned. Pretty simple. I wasn’t fat…not by a long shot…but I got to a point to where my jeans weren’t fitting.
It happens.
I had to make the choice to buy new jeans or lose some weight.
So I decided to eat a little less and move a little more. I also decided I wasn’t going to do anything extreme or follow any kind of “plan”.
No offense to those who follow Paleo. There is some solid science behind Paleo. I just thought it was funny. :-)
No cutting carbs.
No eliminating food groups.
I was just going to eat what I wanted but keep an eye on portions/calories.
And something amazing happened.
By moving more and eating a little less (I can pound a serious amount of food) I’ve been losing about a pound a week.
I haven’t felt deprived once.
The majority of my food has been whole real food because nourishing my body is a priority regardless of my weight but I’ve been reminding myself a serving a almond butter isn’t half the jar. 😉
Although I’ll confess, up until a few days ago, I was even eating cookies, cake, and candy. (We wont’ talk about the hot doughnut shop that’s a short walk from the ski resort parking lot.) Keeping a food journal, an eye on calories, and having an accountability partner has helped me to eat those things in *GASP* moderation. It’s no small miracle because moderation is my strong suit. 😉
Then few days ago, I decided I needed a “reset” because I was eating some sugar every day and decided to pass on sweets for the rest of this month. The sweets didn’t seem to be slowing down my weight loss but considering my past sugar addiction I was fearful things would spiral out of control. I don’t want to go there again.
Of course, the day I decided to pass on sweets (I like the word “pass” because it implies a choice and my choice puts me in the powerful position not the food.) a guy on the bus opened a box of Girl Scout Thin Mints and offered me one. When I said, “No thanks.” He offered me three. Punk. I decided to pass because February is short but the satisfaction of the cookies is even shorter.
There has been no extreme exercising either. Although unlike my tendency to try extreme diets, extreme exercising has never been an issue. I just decided to get up off my butt and move more. I go snowboarding a few afternoons a week, do short full body workouts 2/3x a week, and walk an average of 8,400 every day thanks to the motivation my Fitbit provides. It’s more than manageable. It’s been fun.
All this to say (once again)
It’s consistency that counts not perfection.
And
There isn’t a magic plan.
I’ve skipped workouts. I have had hot doughnuts.
But the difference is I didn’t say, “Forget it. I messed up.” Then blow off the rest of my workouts for the week and eat two dozen cookies a day.
I just made an effort to move more and eat thoughtfully consistently.
And it’s working.
Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn
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Journey with our family on the road at Newschool Nomads as we travel fulltime in RV through the United States!
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Love this, Jenn. I’m inspired. I’ve been struggling with tight pants for way too long, and it really is probably much simpler than I’m allowing it to be.
I’m also toying with a bit of a vacation from sugar. Like you, I think it might be a good idea to “pass” for a while. Still thinking it over, but thank you for the rational, reasonable words. As always! xoxo
I love this. Mainly because I eat whatever I want and am the same size (or smaller) than when I dieted. It’s the beauty of freeing yourself from the whole religion of eating a certain way. I also freed myself from instense workouts. Now I do what I feel. Walk, hike, run, etc. Feels so much better this way!
Yes! Moving more and watching portions of nutritious food is the best way to lose. Sure, you could eat portion controlled doughnuts and burgers, but it’s not ideal for your health. had gained a good bit and didn’t understand why since I walked 45 minutes a day and ate “healthy”. It was Leigh Peele who showed me that it was the other 23 hours that mattered along with my portions. I got a pedometer, watched my intake (I did count calories) and boom – I lost almost 20 lbs without ever feeling deprived! It is definitely consistency – no fads. But each person has to find which way of eating works to make them feel their best. For some it’s low carb, for some it’s low fat or vice-versa. I like natural whole foods as much as possible but I still have a few chemical indulgences (Coke Zero) and sugar. I’ve just gotta start doing some real workouts to build muscle. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Good reading…thanks for the positive outlook !!!
This is right on time–thanks for the reminder. Just bought new jeans, too.
Glad things are going so well!
And I love my Fitbit – it really motivates me! And the kid is totally fascinated with it too and wants one for his birthday (which isn’t until October). We are making a game of it every afternoon at the park and see how many steps we can run/walk/skip each day…
great post Jenn! The same “recipe” has been working for me too. My fave jeans are finally buttoning without tons of effort 😉
Man, I love you. This is my “motto” to a T. And by motto I mean that I live according to this tenet (note that I didn’t use the word “rule” there) all the time and without really thinking about it anymore. I eat sweets daily (mine are homemade and made with stevia usually though) and I do go overboard sometimes, but the next day, I don’t even think about it. The all or nothing thing has never been an issue for me and food. Exercise, on the other hand, is a different story. But, I’m working on it and I’m happy to say, I’ve made major strides in the past few months!
NEED a fitbit. The graphs are calling me. 😀
Good to hear this! Sounds like the most copacetic you have been with food and exercise since I’ve met you. I’m also doing a stevia detox (as I don’t have sugar anyway, but was relying on too much stevia). I’m 2 weeks in and it’s not hard. Not with the rest of my diet being so satiating. Keep up the great work!
You nailed it right on the head. So many people over-complicate this stuff. You got it right, my sistah. Hot doughnuts included. 😉